


We're Not Saints

by Daydream46000



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Acceptance, Angst and Feels, Apologies, Arguing, Attempt at Humor, Canon Divergence, Conflict Resolution, DON'T POST ELSEWHERE WITHOUT MY PERMISSION!!, Family Issues, Forgiveness, Gen, Guilt, Identity Swap, Louie Duck Needs a Hug, Major Original Character(s), Misunderstandings, Not Canon Compliant (sort of), Redemption, Regret, Running Away, Scheming, Self-Doubt, Self-Esteem Issues, World Travel, doppelgangers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:29:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 27,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24636097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daydream46000/pseuds/Daydream46000
Summary: Llewellyn "Louie" Duck is crafty, resourceful, witty, and has a lot of self-esteem issues. Carmello Featherwing is cheerful, optimistic, jovial, and loves life. When the former decides to run away due to everyone being pissed off with him, the latter is forced to step in his shoes for a while. But how on Earth will Carmello be able to impersonate Louie in his absence despite being identical look-alikes?
Relationships: Louie Duck & Original Male Character(s), Original Male Characters(s) & McDuck Family
Comments: 12
Kudos: 45
Collections: DuckTales 'verse





	1. Nothing But Trouble

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is set between the Season 2 finale and Season 3 premiere.
> 
> After watching the "Timephoon!" trilogy, I understood that Louie needed to be disciplined. However, when Della suddenly threatened his place in the family, that was not okay. So I needed to vent somehow.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy! :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Louie overhears Della’s furious rant regarding his most recent scheme, he ultimately decides to run away from home since everyone else in his family is also pissed off with him. Meanwhile, Louie enlists one of his fellow doppelgängers to temporarily impersonate him in his absence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't get me wrong. I like Della's character, but there are times when she needs to simmer down for a bit.
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter in the meantime! :)

**_NOBODY’S P.O.V._ **

******THURSDAY, 04/18/2013******

“So yeah! I had to tell him off, you know? Even if it meant calling him a disappointment, because he _is_! I’ve only grounded him for a couple of days, but let’s face it. He’ll never learn how to be a better person, and frankly, I can’t accept who he is right now,” Della ranted, pacing back and forth while Bentina listened to her attentively.

“Della — ” the housekeeper tried to protest, but she cut her off, too furious to hear anyone else voice their own opinion on this matter.

“I honestly thought after he returned McDuck Enterprises back to Uncle Scrooge, he’d actually learn his lesson! But _no_! He just had to come up with another _cockamamie_ scheme!” she almost screamed, nostrils flaring like crazy.

“Actually, it’s not what you think — ” Again, Della interrupted Beakley, laughing disbelievingly.

“And to think we sang the _lullaby_ together after we found Donald! God! Why can’t he be more like Huey and Dewey? It’s so _easy_ for me to connect with them! I just don’t understand why Louie doesn’t want to bond with me! What did I do that was _so_ horrible, huh? Yeah, so I _accidentally_ landed on the Moon for eleven years. Get over it!” she shrieked.

“Dear, you know he’s past that already — ” the housekeeper tried to explain as gently as possible, but Della certainly inherited the McDuck temper since she was too upset to listen.

“I-I....” The pilot sighed, anger slowly dissolving, but there was still frustration evident in her voice. “I know he’s over it, Mrs. Beakley. I just don’t get why he loves to scheme so much. I’m sorry—but if that’s a part of him, then I can’t accept it. When is he going to learn that scheming is _not_ okay?”

Neither of them said anything afterwards, until Della reminded Bentina that dinner was almost ready. With that, the adults were out of sight, leaving one 12-year-old duckling with a hurt expression. Obviously, he eavesdropped on Della and Beakley’s conversation, but he made himself scarce. And luckily, the boy was successful.

All of a sudden, Louie couldn’t take it anymore, so he ran across the hall and locked himself in the bathroom right next to his bedroom. His face crumpled as the boy started to cry, tears streaming down his cheeks endlessly. Louie muffled his sobs and hiccups so that no one would hear him.

It was bad enough that he couldn’t talk to anyone else in his family because they were pissed off with him too. Earlier today, Scrooge and Donald got into another heated argument over their screwed up family, inadvertently caused by Louie himself because he accidentally broke one of Scrooge and Donald’s expensive gifts made by Della herself.

As a result, both men berated their youngest nephew for being so careless and irresponsible. However, the sailor somehow began another unnecessary argument with Scrooge because he was angry over losing his previous job, so the man had to take it out on somebody, and Scrooge McDuck was an easy target.

A few minutes later, Louie entered the kitchen and found Webby scribbling furiously in her journal. While offering her a glass of water, he managed to slip on a greasy tile and spill liquid all over the pages. After screaming in his face, she retracted her hand in order to slap him, but halted once Webby stared at her friend’s terrified expression.

“Just—go away, Louie. You’re nothing but trouble,” the girl muttered in a low voice before turning away to pick up the wet pages that were scattered all over the hardwood floor. Sighing sadly, the latter exited the kitchen and went back upstairs.

15 minutes later, Huey and Dewey also got triggered by Louie’s antics, even though they weren’t intentional. Both brothers were discussing how much they loved having their whole family back together again. That too, in a spare bedroom adjacent to their own.

However, the youngest accidentally tripped over Huey’s favorite copy of the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook, sending papers flying everywhere at once. Outraged, the eldest pushed Louie down as he sprawled onto the floor, scrambling to stand up again.

“You know what? I _hate_ you! Get outta my fucking sight!” the red triplet spat without mercy.

Dewey smirked in satisfaction since he overheard Louie’s argument with Della earlier, and how she called her youngest son a disappointment—in his _face_. Although neither of them heard their mother’s second rant, thank God!

“Yeah. Maybe that’ll teach you to stop giving Mom a hard time,” the middle triplet added harshly. ‘Cause Dewey always _had_ to take Della’s side, being a mama’s boy and all! First, the blue triplet practically taunted Louie for the time tub incident by laughing at him, and now? 😔

Back in the present, the green-clad duckling stopped sniffling. He turned on the faucet and washed his face with warm water, clearing any evidence that he was crying, though Louie’s eyes remained slightly red-rimmed for another few minutes.

“Carmello?” Louie immediately called his identical friend over the phone. “Hey man. I need a favor. Can you come over tomorrow morning at around five-ish?”

* * *

******FRIDAY, 04/19/2013******

It was 4:45am. The green duckling’s bags were already packed and he was ready to leave. But where would he go? Would he travel domestically or internationally? Well—he didn’t know yet, but Louie would figure it out—sort of.

And that’s when 12-year-old Carmello Featherwing arrived through a secret entrance, greeting Louie in his cheerful Highland Scottish accent. Inviting his doppelgänger over for morning tea/coffee, the green triplet made sure that no one else was in the room, praying they were still asleep.

“So here’s the thing....” Louie began explaining almost everything that occurred the previous day, resulting in Carmello gasping in shock. The former then enlisted the latter to temporarily act like him in his absence.

“Of course! I’ll do it—but what about you? Where will you go?” Carmello asked curiously.

Louie sighed. “I dunno yet, but don’t worry. I’ll figure it out. Just—don’t tell anyone about this, okay? And whoever finds out by accident, tell them not to say anything either,” he pleaded. His doppelgänger nodded in understanding.

“Of course. Whatever you need,” Carmello promised with the brightest smile Louie had ever seen.

The green triplet flashed him a grateful smile. “Thank you so much for doing this, man. I owe you.”

“Sure! This is so exciting!” the optimist beamed, bouncing on his chair.

“Anyway....” Both boys stood up to shake hands and share a brief hug. “See ya.” And with that, Louie was out the door and nowhere in sight, leaving Carmello lost in his own thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't expect super-fast updates because I'm working on other fics as well, especially the "Death Scenarios" one at the moment. 
> 
> Thank you for your patience and feel free to leave comments. :)


	2. No Need To Apologize

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carmello struggles to impersonate Louie's personality traits during his first couple of days at the mansion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay....so maybe these updates will be faster than you guys think, since the chapters are significantly shorter than the ones I've written for my other fic: "*Ducktales* Reboot Death Scenarios".
> 
> Enjoy! :)

**_NOBODY’S P.O.V._ **

******SATURDAY, 04/20/2013******

Today marked 28 hours since Carmello stepped into Louie’s shoes for God knows how long. It was almost 9am, and the entire McDuck family was awake, including Beakley and Webby.

Carmello fidgeted nervously in his chair, taking shallow, uneven breaths. _No no no! I_ _can’t risk_ _having a_ **_panic attack_** _! Not_ _here_ _! Honestly, it was_ _**so** much easier_ _when they all_ **_ignored_** _me_ _yesterday!_

Scrooge sighed exasperatedly. “Louie, what on Earth are you doing?”

“Yeah, what _are_ you doing here anyway?” Dewey snarled from across the dining table. “Yesterday was a blast, since we didn’t get to _see_ you at all!” Ouch! That was super harsh! Calm down, man!

What surprised Carmello, however, was that none of the adults were defending the youngest triplet (even though he wasn’t technically here). Huey and Webby refused to say anything, and so they chatted amongst themselves instead, continuing to ignore his presence.

Meanwhile, the _real_ Louie snuck into a cargo plane travelling from Duckburg (Calisota region, California, U.S.) to Paris (Île-de-France, France). Suddenly, he bumped his head on a nearby crate and muttered a small _ow_. He then yawned loudly and eventually fell asleep again.

* * *

******SUNDAY, 04/21/2013******

It had been two days since Louie ran away from home, and so Donald apologized to Scrooge for his crappy behavior that day.

“It’s alright, lass. I forgive you. Besides, I should apologize as well. I shouldn’t have said those things to you either,” the old man replied with a sad smile. Donald smiled back as they shared a heartfelt embrace.

Elsewhere, Louie’s brothers were busy contemplating what they said three days back, wincing in regret at how unnecessarily harsh they were towards him.

“Should we apologize now or....?” Dewey asked his older brother. Huey shook his head.

“Probably not. Better that he comes to us first. Then we’ll see what happens,” he responded, causing the middle triplet to frown.

“Are you still mad at him?” Dewey inquired.

“W-Well....I mean, he _did_ ruin my favorite J.W.G. copy and — ”

“Huey! I fixed it! Now your Junior Woodchuck Guidebook is as good as new!” Carmello exclaimed ecstatically as he bolted towards his brothers’ doppelgängers with the exact same J.W.G. in hand, grinning like a maniac.

Lucky for him, Huey and Dewey didn’t suspect a thing, since Carmello had practiced talking with an American accent. 

**_Vowels_** _, Carmello! Remember your_ **_vowels_** _!_ He kept on telling himself each day.

Huey gaped at him. _Wait_ **_what_** _?! He_ **_fixed_** _it_ _?? But_ _how_ _?_ It seemed like Dewey had read his mind, because he wore a similar expression.

“I-I....” the eldest stuttered, awestruck. He then sighed and added, “I’m really sorry, Lou. I shouldn’t have yelled or shoved you that day. It was wrong.”

Carmello blinked and replied with a cheerful smile, “Oh. It’s okay! Don’t worry about it.”

 **_Nope_** _! You’ve got to play it_ **_cool_** _, just like Louie said! Don’t be_ **_too_** _peppy_ _!_

“Uh....I-I mean um—yeah, sure. You know—whatever. It’s cool, man. Forget about it,” he repeated insouciantly.

“It still was wrong, though—so I’m sorry,” Huey claimed regretfully. Carmello simply shrugged again, which made the older two triplets’ brows furrow in concern.

“You sure you’re okay?” Dewey asked him in a brotherly manner.

“Yeah yeah. Sheesh! You guys are apologizing _way_ too much. It’s weird!” the young Scotsman scoffed in disbelief.

 _My_ **_word_** _! I never knew impersonating_ _Louie_ _would be_ **_so difficult_** _!_

“But—I never apologized to you yet,” the blue triplet pointed out. Gee! I wonder _why_!

“I was an asshole to you, and I’m so sorry for that. I should’ve never said those horrible things to you in the first place,” Dewey lamented, looking remorseful.

“I know you and Mom have been at odds for—a while now. A-And if there’s anything we can do to help, you can always talk to us. You know that, right?” he added thoughtfully.

“Okay....great,” Carmello answered, maintaining Louie’s typical indifference. “Look....there are too many negative emotions swirling around. So let’s just—forget about it and move on, okay?” he insisted.

Huey and Dewey nodded, silently agreeing to bring up this topic again later, but only when ‘Louie’ was ready to do so.

“Anyway, so should we convince Mom to unground you or....?” suggested the middle triplet. 

Carmello was utterly confused. _Hold on! Louie never_ **_mentioned_** _this_ _while we were discussing....oh_ **_shoot_** _! I wasn’t_ _listening_ _! Silly me! Always lost inside my_ _own_ ** _happy place_** _!_ He lightly chastised himself.

“Uh y-yes! Of course! Let’s uh—do that!” he stated with fake confidence.

Suddenly, another thought popped inside his head. _Wait! I_ **_totally_** _forgot_ _to call_ _Mum_ _last night! Oh, she’ll be_ **_so worried_** _!_

“A-Actually uh....I gotta make a quick call first. You know what? How ‘bout you guys go down and convince her? I’ll catch up later,” Carmello managed to convince them before rushing back to the triplets’ bedroom.

* * *

Once he locked the door, the boy instantly pulled out his phone and dialed Amelia Featherwing’s number. **_C’mon_** _, Mum!_ **_Please_ ** _pick up!_

“Carmello! Where are you?! Your brothers and I have been worried _sick_!” his mother nearly shrieked.

Flinching, he answered sheepishly, “I’m so sorry, Mum. I should’ve called you last night, but I forgot.”

For those of you who don’t know—Dr. Amelia Featherwing (M.D./Psy.D./Ph.D.) was Scrooge McDuck’s former therapist as well as Della Duck’s Highland Scottish-accented doppelgänger (read my death scenarios fic). 

Normally, she was calm and collected, having been rigorously trained in multiple counseling and psychotherapeutic topics. When it came to her three identical triplet sons, however....not so much. She was very high-strung and somewhat strict with them due to their strong personalities (except for Antonio, her middle son who was quite mellow).

This was certainly proven once Amelia answered her youngest son’s phone call, internally panicking due to his unknown whereabouts. So Carmello convinced her that he was on an extended international field trip with his classmates.

“You should’ve told me that as _soon_ as the faculty decided to make that change! You were supposed to return home last night! That too, your final exams are approaching, so shouldn’t you be studying?” she scolded him. Grimacing, Carmello blurted out more apologies.

“It’s only for three more weeks, Mum. And besides, you only encouraged me to go out there and see the world, remember?” he reminded her, his tone jovial with a tint of hope.

“Aye....I did,” she sighed defeatedly. “Well—I suppose I’ll have to inform your brothers then. I’m sure Antonio will understand, but pray that Aloiso will take it well. You know how he is with sudden changes.”

Carmello gulped audibly. “I know. Anyway, I’ll call you again tomorrow. Bye!”

“Louie?” The 12-year-old yelped once he heard Della’s voice.

“Oh! H-Hey, Mom! What’s uh—what’s up?” Carmello said, grinning nervously while hiding his phone in his back pocket. _Good_ _! You’ve managed to_ _change accents_ _pretty_ **_quickly_** _!_

“I’ve thought a lot about what your brothers said....and I’ve decided to lift your grounding. And I might’ve gone too far by calling you a—disappointment,” Della admitted hesitantly.

 **_Thank God_ ** _he didn’t hear me venting to_ **_Mrs. Beakley_ ** _three days ago!_ She hoped. Yeah, no kidding!

“Yeah! Of course! I’ll um—keep that in mind. Thank you for your apology, and um—I’ll see you guys later,” Carmello stumbled on his words, but he somehow faked his confidence enough for Della not to notice. He flashed her another grin before she left the room, puzzled as to how quickly her ‘son’ accepted her apology.

Two minutes later, however, the pilot returned with another thought in mind. “Hey. How ‘bout you and I go grab some dinner from StarDucks? Just the two of us, what d’you say?” she suggested hopefully. 

Carmello gulped again and nodded, eyes extremely wide. “Mm hmm.”

And five minutes afterwards, both ducks were already out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first fic I've written where my original characters (OCs) have a major role.
> 
> Hope you liked this chapter overall. And again, feel free to leave comments! :)


	3. Pas De Problème....!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Della invites 'Louie' to dinner at StarDucks in order to apologize properly. Meanwhile, the real Louie is offered a place to stay in Paris (France).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the second half of this chapter, some of the dialogues are in French. I apologize if the translations aren't perfect b/c I'm still learning the language. One day, I want to translate some of my stories in French as well. Let's see how that works out....
> 
> Again, thank you for your patience and hope you enjoy this chapter. :)

**_NOBODY’S P.O.V._ **

******SAME DAY******

Della cleared her throat before speaking. “Um....so you’re probably wondering why I brought you out here.” Carmello nodded in response as she continued.

“Okay, good. So—I um....I-I’m sorry. I dunno why I’m so nervous,” she stammered, wincing awkwardly.

Carmello flashed her a warm smile anyway. “It’s okay. Why don’t you start with why you chose StarDucks?” he encouraged.

“Right. Um....y-yeah. I’ll uh—I’ll do that.” Both of them chuckled softly before Della began her explanation.

“Honestly, I wanted to apologize to you properly. I shouldn’t have called you a disappointment to begin with, regardless of how pissed off I was. And now I feel even worse because I overheard Mrs. Beakley talking about how you were planning an early Mother’s Day surprise for me. And all this time, I thought you were scheming,” she confessed, overwhelming guilt etched in her voice.

“Then again, she said it was a _good_ scheme, meaning your intentions were good. So I really need to reassess my opinion on the term. And obviously, I failed to be a good parent so far,” Della added pointedly, averting her eyes. Oh _wow_! Ya think?!

Carmello gazed at her sadly. He felt bad for the woman who missed out on eleven years of her sons’ lives. The woman who swore she’d do anything to get back to her kids. Della endured so much and yet the pilot claimed that she failed as a mother. **_No_** _!_ He thought. _She’s_ **_wrong_** _!_

Of course, the young Scotsman was never informed of Della’s conversation with Mrs. Beakley three days earlier, so he was unaware of how badly her words had impacted his doppelgänger.

He shook his head and replied, “Mom, you’re not a bad parent. You’re still learning, and that’s okay. In fact, it’s totally normal that you don’t know what you’re doing sometimes. Hell, I’m still trying to figure out how to be a good son.”

The pilot winced and shook her head, feeling guiltier than before. “Of _course_ you are! It’s my fault for not being patient enough. When I came back from the Moon, your brothers instantly grabbed onto me and refused to let go. But you? Obviously you were scared of what would happen. I mean, if _my_ parents came back from the dead, I would’ve reacted the same way!”

Carmello nodded in agreement. “Gran and Gramps? Er—I mean, Grandma and Grandpa?”

“Yeah,” she confirmed. 

The boy smiled gratefully. “Thanks, Mom.”

“No probs,” she replied. “And uh—about the time tub incident — ”

“It’s okay, Mom. I get why you had to ground me. Besides, Mrs. Beakley was right. You had to be our parent, not our buddy,” he stated.

“I know that. It’s just—I should’ve never threatened your place in the family, especially through a DT-87 recording....” Della noted, a lump forming in her throat.

 _Wait_ **_what_** _?? Since when did Della_ **_threaten_ ** _Louie’s_ _place_ _in the family? Did I_ **_miss_ ** _something? Louie_ **_never_ ** _told me_ _this_ _!_

Taken aback by her statement, the 12-year-old composed himself and blurted out, “Uh—yeah! Nah, that’s cool. I mean—it’s fine. Like I said—instead of hashing out the past, let’s move forward from now on, okay? ‘Cause I don’t wanna fight anymore. Let’s just start over and—try again.”

“Okay. Yeah, sure!” Della exclaimed contentedly.

But the real question was— _did_ Louie forgive her for any of this? Carmello was undoubtedly a very forgiving person, so this was quite easy for him to do—but Louie? Not so much. He’d probably avoid them for a while—which he was already doing.

In addition, Carmello suspected that Louie hadn’t told him everything that was necessary for the old buckaroo switcheroo to work properly. He really wished that his American-accented friend was more honest with him. 

Even though Carmello understood why Louie wanted to keep some things to himself, the young Scotsman knew eventually, they’d have to confess their plan in order for the schemer to truly make amends with his family. But first....

 _Should_ _I call him?_ The guy was in Paris for crying out loud!

* * *

******MONDAY, 04/22/2013******

And speaking of Paris—it had been two days since the green-clad duckling had arrived. As soon as he hopped off the plane, he researched cheap hotels within a five-mile radius. Unfortunately, Louie was also suffering from a massive amount of jet lag, ‘cause that’s what he got for losing nine hours.

But now, he was no longer staying at a hotel. Fortunately, Louie had friends who lived in the exact same arrondissement, so long commutes weren’t required.

“Hey guys. Thanks for letting me stay here. I owe you _big time_ ,” Louie thanked the Bordeaux triplets—Alvarro, César, and Fabian. And you all thought he only had _one_ doppelgänger!

Anyway—Alvarro was the oldest, being Huey’s doppelgänger. César was stuck in the middle, just like Dewey. And Fabian was the youngest, resembling Louie himself. The only difference? They spoke fluent French and he didn’t.

“Oh pas de problème!” César stated, not minding at all.

“Yeah. It’s not a problem, mon ami,” Alvarro repeated, smiling.

Fabian nodded his head without saying anything. In his view, actions spoke louder than words.

“Mais tu dois réveiller tôt demain, car nous allons à la Tour Eiffel!” César beamed. 

Louie, of course, pretended to understand exactly what he was saying. “Yeah. Mm hmm. Totally,” the young schemer responded while nodding his head slowly.

Of course, being perceptive as he was, César immediately caught on, frowning in disapproval. “Tu n'as pas pratiqué votre français. Honte à toi!”

Slapping his forehead in disbelief, Alvarro translated, “He’s disappointed because you haven’t practiced your French since the last time you’ve been here.”

“But that was like a _year_ ago!” Louie countered. “It’s not my fault I can’t remember anything!”

“Mais c'est ça le problème. Tu ne rappelles de _rien_ ,” César elaborated forcefully while crossing his arms.

“César, ça suffit!” Alvarro scolded him before turning back to Louie with a softer expression. “It’s okay, Louie. Don’t let him pressure you. It’s not your fault he cannot keep his mouth shut.” 

The middle triplet scoffed at his older brother’s statement. “De quoi tu parles?” he argued, arms still crossed.

“Tais-toi! N'ouvre _pas_ ta bouche, tu comprends? Tu es grossier!” Alvarro snapped, turning to his immediate little brother.

“Je ne suis pas grossier! Je dis juste les faits!” César retorted, still scowling.

“Yeah—between the French and the arguing, I’m completely lost,” Louie chimed in awkwardly, causing both of them to stop fighting.

“Um....c-can I say something?” Fabian asked shyly, raising his hand.

 _Holy shit!_ Louie gasped. _I almost_ **_forgot_ ** _he was_ **_there_** _! And he’s_ **_my doppelgänger_** _!_

“Oui.”

“Bien sûr.”

“I know this is not the best time, but....I’m very hungry. Should we eat lunch now or later? My stomach is growling,” he mentioned while gripping his stomach, causing everyone else to laugh out loud. César immediately approached his only little brother and playfully pinched his cheeks.

“Tu as très faim, n'est-ce pas?” the middle sibling deduced, pouting.

“Oui. Mon estomac grogne depuis des heures,” Fabian winced a little while speaking.

“So—are we eating or....?” Louie questioned the three of them.

César once again rolled his eyes in annoyance and replied, “Oui! Maintenant mangeons!”

“Sois gentil,” Alvarro warned him, wagging his finger.

“Peu importe!” the middle triplet retaliated.

“Oh good! ‘Cause I’m starving!” the green triplet said out loud.

After the four of them finished eating lunch, Louie pulled out his phone again to check if he received any texts from his Highland Scottish-accented doppelgänger. _Nope_ _! No texts_ **_yet_** _. Guess I’ll just have to_ **_wait_** _._

“Okay! So can we go see the Eiffel Tower now?” he implored.

“Absolutely! Let’s go!” the oldest triplet replied with excitement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed reading! :)
> 
> And those of you who read my death scenarios fic, I apologize for the delay. I'm currently working on the next chapter for that, so expect an update within the next couple of days.


	4. Forgive And Forget

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louie and Carmello share a heartfelt conversation over the phone. Later on, Scrooge, Donald, and Webby offer their own apologies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty heavy (and fluffy too), so brace yourself.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy! :)
> 
> Feel free to comment as well. :)

**_NOBODY’S P.O.V._ **

******SAME DAY******

A few hours later, it was 11:00am (Pacific Time) and 8:00pm (Central European Time). After calling his mother, he decided to contact Louie as well, just to check on how he was doing—and also reveal some stuff from his end.

“Hey dude! So how’s the family?” the green triplet inquired, a tad of bitterness in his voice. _Maybe family_ **_is_ ** _nothing but_ **_trouble_** _._ He began to contemplate.

“Oh! Um....they’re great!” Carmello stuttered. 

Louie scowled. “Are you sure? Did they say anything to you? Because I swear to God, if they found out our plan and insulted you, I’ll — ” he demanded warningly, because there was no way in hell Louie would allow his family to target someone so innocent and pure. _Unlike_ **_me_** _._ He thought bitterly.

“Oh no no no! That’s not necessary! Nobody found out anything and everything’s fine now! Well— _mostly_. I still haven’t heard any apologies from your uncles or Webbigail just yet, but I have a feeling they’re next,” Carmello revealed, attempting to ease the tension in his doppelgänger’s voice.

Blinking in surprise, Louie added, “Oh wow! Uh....I didn’t realize they’d actually—huh. So....let me get this straight. They’re not mad at me anymore? Except for the people you’ve mentioned? Did I hear that right?”

Being himself, the green-clad duckling needed confirmation. It didn’t matter what the situation was. He just needed it, that’s all. Louie was always known for his skepticism and perceptive nature, so no wonder Scrooge referred to him as ‘sharper than the sharpies’!

Carmello nodded and said yes, which made Louie sigh in relief. However, he was still afraid to return home. The boy needed more time.

“I um—I can’t come home just yet.”

The Highland Scotsman nearly spit out his drink. “What? Why?”

“Because! I just—maybe it’s better if I stay away for a little while longer. Y-You know, until your ‘field trip’ is over,” the trickster suggested, eager to continue with his scheme (which was a really good one, btw).

“B-But we’re going to tell them eventually—right?” Carmello reminded him anxiously, hoping that Louie would come to his senses soon.

“When I come back? Oh _hell_ no! They’ll never know that I was gone, trust me. That’s why I cooked up this plan in the first place. It’s the perfect scheme!” Louie beamed in delight.

“I think you should, though. Explain why you ran away and enlisted me to impersonate you. It’s better if you’re honest with them. If not for your family, then for yourself,” Carmello retorted gently.

“And why should I? They’ll hate me even more instead of accepting me with open arms, so what’s the point?!” Louie remarked sharply.

“They won’t hate you. Your family will understand — ”

“No they _won’t_! They’ll never understand because you’re not getting it! My family thinks I’m a burden to them, okay? And maybe they’re right! I....” Louie paused and sighed deeply. “Look, I-I don’t wanna fight with you.”

“Me neither. I’m not trying to start an argument—but I’m worried about you, that’s all. I just want you and your family to be happy because you deserve to be happy,” Carmello declared.

“Carmello—you and I might look and sound exactly the same, but we’re completely different people.” Louie stopped, taking a deep breath before continuing to elaborate.

“You _love_ your life, helping people no matter what. A-And you have all these great ideas that don’t end up hurting anyone. I-I don’t....you’re everything that I’m _not_. Everyday, you make people feel better just by smiling at them, and you make everyone laugh. You have such a great relationship with your family because let’s face it—you have the perfect personality. God! You’re _so_ happy—all the time! B-But I’m not.”

The 12-year-old then shook his head despondently, eyes brimming with tears.

“I’m not happy,” he choked out, and that’s when Carmello’s heart broke. This poor boy deserved a heartwarming hug, but nobody would give him one.

The young Scotsman sighed and eventually came up with a comforting reply. “When you asked me to imitate you, I know you didn’t explain everything to me. There’s obviously more that’s been said to make you feel this way, so you left. And whatever they said to you—it’s _not_ your fault,” he said adamantly, clearing his throat before continuing.

“You’re not a burden to them or anyone else. If anything, I reckon they’ll have to apologize at least twenty more times until it’s sincere enough. For me, I do forgive people easily, but it was so hard imagining how you would react. So—I chose to brush them off, saying that we should just forget about the past and—move forward. But the truth is....you haven’t, and that’s not your fault.”

“I — ” Louie tried to protest.

But Carmello cut him off, reminding the green-clad duckling that no matter what horrible things they said that day, his family still loved him, including lots of other people. And if Louie told them the truth, they’d definitely understand why he needed his own space. In fact, it would bring them closer rather than tear them apart. And overall, Louie deserved to be happy.

“I promise you—it’ll work out, and everything will be okay again,” the optimist guaranteed, which made Louie’s tears finally escape and roll down his cheeks as he sniffled. 

“Th-Thank you for saying that,” he blubbered, leaning against the edge of the balcony, his puffy red eyes fixated on the impeccable view outside.

Carmello smiled at that. “You’re welcome.”

“Hey uh—I just realized something. Even though I don’t have my family right now—I still have you,” Louie croaked, smiling as well.

Carmello’s eyes started to water as well. “Thanks. And I’ll always be here.”

“Alright! No more sappy comments!” Louie warned him in a playful manner while giggling.

His doppelgänger smirked. “Noted.”

* * *

“Lass? Er—can we talk?” Scrooge asked his ‘nephew’ eight hours later, his tone unusually anxious due to current circumstances.

The youngest Featherwing triplet shrugged in response. “Sure.”

“Right, erm....oh boy. Where do I begin?” the old man commenced, palms sweating as he gently patted his sides.

“I know it’s been a few days and all, but er—I wanted to apologize for my behavior that day. I shouldn’t have taken my anger out on you over a silly little ornament, even if it was a gift from Della. I’m supposed to be the adult, but I was acting like a child,” he stated remorsefully.

“Oh. Well um—I appreciate that,” Carmello responded with a blank expression.

The billionaire held his breath and added, “I-I know my apology is long overdue, but — ”

“You know what?” the boy added, his lips pressed together. “It’s fine. Let’s just forget about it and move on, if that’s okay.”

Scrooge blinked rapidly. “Oh! Erm—alright. I mean, if that’s what you want, then yeah,” he answered, feeling flustered. With that, Carmello left him standing while entering the kitchen, immediately spotting Beakley cooking dinner and Webby reading a graphic novel.

Once the girl looked up, she grinned and waved at him. “Oh hey, Louie! Didn’t see ya there!”

Carmello frowned in confusion. _I don’t_ _remember_ _Webby_ _apologizing to_ ** _me_** _—er—_ ** _Louie_** _._

Nevertheless, he still had to put on a show as he replied with fake enthusiasm, “Yeah. Well me neither!”

Soon, Webby’s expression turned into a somber one as she added, “I’m really sorry for what I said four days ago. I-I know it’s probably too late now to apologize, but I want you to know that I’m _so_ sorry for everything. I know you didn’t mean to ruin my journal. It was an accident.”

The Scotsman inhaled sharply and pondered her apology for a minute before answering. “Well—I should also apologize for um—ruining your journal in the first place. I should’ve been more careful. But thanks anyway, you know, for saying sorry. I appreciate it.” His tone remained stoic.

“So—you’re not mad? Because I totally understand if you are — ” Webby inquired, her tone uncertain.

“There’s really no point in getting mad, Webs. It’ll just make things _worse_ , and I value our friendship too much for that. Besides, I’d rather put everything behind us and just move forward with our lives,” he deadpanned.

 **_Yes_** _! I_ _finally_ _grasped_ _Louie’s facial expressions_ _**properly**! _

“O-Okay. Yeah, sure!” she agreed in a high-pitched voice, though Webby was slightly concerned as to how quickly ‘Louie’ had accepted her apology. In her mind, though—something was a bit off, but her thought was interrupted once Beakley had announced dinner.

While the McDuck family (and Carmello) gobbled up their meals, Donald blurted out his own apologies for unnecessarily scolding him alongside Scrooge. The Scotsman dismissed his words, claiming that everything was fine and they should both move on.

“Oh! Uh—are you sure?” Donald asked worriedly.

Carmello sighed tiredly. “ _Yes_ , Uncle Donald.” He then flashed him a reassuring smile.

 _Phew_ _! At least no one_ **_suspected_ ** _anything._ Well....except for one person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like Louie and Carmello's conversation was pretty therapeutic, especially for Louie, because he endured quite a lot over these past few days. It's nice to know that he has someone else to talk to.
> 
> Hope you liked it! :)


	5. I Have No Idea What You're Talking About

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Bordeaux triplets are shocked to hear that Louie's mother is still alive. Meanwhile, Della becomes concerned over 'Louie's' odd behavior and decides to confide in her uncle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember, the Bordeaux triplets were born in this particular order:  
> \- Alvarro (oldest; same age as Huey)  
> \- César (middle; same age as Dewey)  
> \- Fabian (youngest; same age as Louie)
> 
> In addition, you don't have to worry so much about translating the sentences that are in French. Alvarro sort of does that for you. :)

**_NOBODY’S P.O.V._ **

******TUESDAY, 04/23/2013******

“Oi! Réveillez-vous! Nous devons partir maintenant!” César announced from the kitchen as his brothers woke up groggily.

Louie groaned loudly, still feeling sleepy. **_This_ ** _is what I get for staying in a_ _tiny_ ** _one-bedroom_** _apartment_ _! But hey, at least they have a_ _balcony_ _with an_ **_awesome_** _view_ _—so yeah._

One thing y’all need to know about one-bedroom apartments in Paris—they are _très_ petits! In other words— _very_ small! Not that France doesn’t have bigger apartments or condos, but in terms of price, it’s definitely worth it.

“Don’t you guys ever feel cramped? You know, living in such a small space?” the trickster suddenly asked after they got off the metro.

“Not exactly, no. We’re fine. Besides, it’s mostly just the three of us, since our mother is always busy with her work,” Alvarro explained nonchalantly.

“Ouais. Elle ne revient presque _jamais_ à la maison,” the middle triplet clarified, sighing hopelessly.

“He’s saying that she practically never comes home, because our mother’s a workaholic,” the eldest elaborated. As usual, Fabian kept quiet and listened to their conversation.

With a puzzled expression, Louie chuckled softly and replied, “Well—at least it beats having a mother who was on the Moon for the first eleven years and nine months of your life!” There was dead silence.

“Mais....je pensais que ta mère était morte,” César reckoned, assuming that Della was deceased.

“Oui. I remember you mentioning that your mother was flying through some kind of—tempête cosmique?” the oldest triplet added, also confused. 

“Hmm?” Louie replied, not grasping the French portion.

“A cosmic storm? I-Is that the right term?” Alvarro wondered.

“Oh! Yeah. I uh—I did say that. Thanks for reminding me.” The Bordeaux triplets cast worried glances at each other before turning back to their youngest brother’s doppelgänger.

“What?”

“Pourquoi es-tu vraiment venu ici?” César asked the schemer suspiciously.

“Why did you really come here?” Alvarro translated, folding his arms skeptically.

Louie’s palms started to sweat like crazy. _Shit! They’re_ **_onto_ ** _me! Might as well_ **_spill the beans_** _._

“Okay! So maybe I came here ‘cause I kinda—sorta—you know—ran away from home?” he confessed with a nervous grin.

“Quoi?! ¿¿Estas _loco_?? Tu es plus bête que je ne le pensais!” César exclaimed, totally perplexed.

“César, arrête ça!” Alvarro chided. "Sorry Louie, just ignore him."

Louie smiled, grateful that Huey's doppelgänger stood up for him.

“I think we should all eat something,” Fabian advised them calmly. The other three nodded, tired from arguing.

* * *

******WEDNESDAY, 04/24/2013******

“I’m telling you, Carmello. These guys are driving me _nuts_! Well—except for Fabian. He’s pretty chill, but the other two? Impossible! Alvarro and César are pretty much _always_ fighting!” Louie complained over the phone. 

His Highland Scottish look-alike chuckled in reply. “They’re brothers. You can’t expect them to get along 24/7. I know I’m usually upbeat, but it didn’t stop my family from having that huge fallout last year.”

Oh yeah. Louie almost forgot about that. Clearly, he experienced something similar with Uncle Scrooge, but you already know what happened. In Carmello’s case, however, the situation was much worse. But again, that’s a story for another time.

After these two were done conversing, Carmello shifted gears and accidentally bumped into Della— _again_.

“Oh! H-Hey, Mom. What’s up?” the 12-year-old stuttered. **_Relax_** _, Carmello! It’s just_ **_Della_** _. She_ **_won’t_ ** _bite you!_

The woman was extra jovial today, announcing that the entire family was going to Big Rock Candy Mountain in two days. _Wait, what’s_ **_Big Rock Candy Mountain_** _? Never_ **_heard_ ** _of it before._

“I know you were grounded before, but now you get to come with us! Isn’t that great?” she cheered.

Yeah....the boy had absolutely no idea what she was talking about, whereas Louie did. So Carmello knew once again, he was forced to put on an act.

Grinning, he responded with both thumbs up. “Oh! Yeah....Big Rock! Cool! Cool cool cool.”

Carmello then mentioned if he was a first-time tourist, how would Della describe the place in detail. At first, the pilot was confused, stating that Louie had been researching Big Rock for quite a while now. Panicking, the Scotsman lied to her face, convincing Della that it was for a friend who had never been there before.

“Oh! Uh—well....” his mother’s doppelgänger began.

* * *

******THURSDAY, 04/25/2013******

Della decided to confront Scrooge about ‘Louie’s’ slightly unusual behavior. “Uncle Scrooge, Has Louie seemed a bit off lately?”

“Oh! Um....w-well yes actually. He hasn’t uttered the word ‘money’ or ‘gold’ since last Thursday! Although besides that, he seemed pretty normal if you ask me,” he agreed—somewhat. But Della anticipated something else—something she hadn’t discussed with her ‘son’ since —

“Wait....y-you don’t think Louie’s mad at us for what we said last week, do you? I-I know that he wanted to forget about it and move on, but....d’you think maybe he said that in order to avoid us? Or....because he felt bad for us and didn’t want to cause another scene?” she deduced with a troubled expression.

The old man gave a sad sigh. “Then again, we might as well discuss the Spear of Selene over and over. Lass, I think maybe Louie does wanna move on and not get back to it. I-It’s unhealthy to keep hashing out the past. I mean, look where it got Donald and I.”

“Did you guys _ever_ discuss it? Or you two just miraculously made up and moved forward, becoming one big happy family?” Della added sharply.

Scrooge scoffed. “Of course we discussed it! And all it did was cause _more_ trouble! It was so bad that Donald threatened to move the boys back to the houseboat!”

“But he didn’t do that, did he? In case you haven’t noticed, my sons still live in this house!” the pilot snapped back.

“Ack! I _know_ that, Della! But it doesn’t mean we should talk about the past 24/7!” he shouted in frustration.

“I never said that! I meant you two need to discuss what happened in a calm and rational manner!” Della retorted, scowling.

“Oh! Like _you’re_ so calm and rational, Ms. I’ll-Just-Steal-The-Spear-And-Take-Off-Without-Saying-Goodbye!” Scrooge quacked, panting heavily.

“Both of you are right.” Wait _what_??

“Donald??” both ducks exclaimed, shocked that he was standing right there.

The sailor breathed deeply and noted, “We have a lot to discuss, but we need to be in the right headspace for it, and I think we should start now in order to eventually move on, like Della said.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chapter and the fic in general. :)
> 
> As always, you may leave comments. :)


	6. Not So Foolproof

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While the McDucks revisit Big Rock Candy Mountain, Carmello has to work even harder to impersonate Louie, questioning how foolproof their plan really is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ever heard of the 'perfect scheme'? Well....maybe they don't really exist. I'm just saying. ;)
> 
> Enjoy! :)

**_NOBODY’S P.O.V._ **

******FRIDAY, 04/26/2013******

Huey was already awake, scrolling through his newly-repaired Junior Woodchuck Guidebook. Dewey soon woke up and yawned.

“Dude, it’s _6am_!” the middle triplet complained.

The eldest shrugged. “So?”

Dewey scoffed. “So! I’m trying to _sleep_ here but you’re making too much _noise_!”

“Then sleep somewhere else,” Huey snarked.

“Fine!”

“ _Fine_!”

“Guys! Guess where we’re going this afternoon!” Webby shrieked excitedly.

“Where are we goin’?” Dewey yawned again while rubbing his eyes.

“Big Rock Candy Mountain!” she revealed. Both brothers were astounded.

“Again? But—didn’t we just go there last _month_?” the blue triplet reminded her.

“We did, but Louie hasn’t! He was grounded, remember?” Webby told them.

Dewey smirked. “Oh yeah, I remember.”

“But now he can come! Yay!” she beamed.

“Yay....” he remarked sarcastically.

“Wow, Dew! Could you be more obvious, please?” Huey also made his sarcastic remark.

“Shut up, _Hubert_!” the middle sibling seethed.

“Maybe you should do the same thing, _Dewford_!” the eldest retorted.

“Guys, please stop fighting! At least wait until we’re actually _there_!” Webby advised.

“Sorry, Webs.” She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

“Anyway, you guys should probably wake him up. Granny says we’re leaving in an hour.” With that, she exited the boys’ bedroom.

In the meantime, Huey and Dewey yawned one last time, stretching their hands and legs before climbing off their respective bunks.

“Let’s go wake him up.” Their feet skidded to a halt once they regarded the empty bed. **_What the_** _....?_

“Where did he go?” Dewey pondered.

“Maybe he’s already awake,” Huey thought.

The aspiring adventurer slapped his own forehead. “Of _course_.”

* * *

60 minutes flew by as everyone jumped inside the limo. Turned out, Carmello was the first to enter and fell asleep while waiting for the others. Though for some reason, the lad’s head was hurting, despite hiding it well.

As soon as they entered Big Rock Candy Mountain, Carmello’s mouth was agape. The view itself was breathtaking. On his left were bubblegum-flavored soda waterfalls, and on his right, even more waterfalls but with different flavors.

“Wow! I’ve never seen anything like this!” the young Scotsman breathed. _So_ **_this_ ** _is what Louie meant!_ **_Amazing_** _! I should take my_ **_brothers_ ** _to this place one day!_

“Well I’m sure you haven’t, dear,” a female voice replied while smiling softly, her arms crossed. _Wait a minute...._ ** _Mrs. Beakley_** _??_

“Oh! H-Hey, Mrs. Beakley! How’s it goin’?” Carmello grinned anxiously, fiddling with his fingers. “So this is what Big Rock Candy Mountain looks like in _person_ , huh? Amazing! You know, we should _definitely_ come here again.” At this point, the Scotsman finally nailed Louie’s tone as well as his accent.

“You’re right, we should. And maybe you can bring _your_ family as well.” Uh oh! Beakley alert!

Regardless, Carmello forced himself to maintain Louie’s typical façade whenever he was confronted by an adult, so he began laughing nervously. “Oh good one, Mrs. B! But you know they’re _here_ , right?”

“Oh! I have _no_ doubts that you consider us your second family. But _surely_ you must miss your first one, correct?” Bentina added deliberately, causing the 12-year-old to swallow audibly.

“Um....”

All of a sudden, Beakley bent down to his level and whispered, “Don’t worry, dear. I know _everything_.” The housekeeper stood up straight and added, eyebrows raised, “So how’s Louie enjoying Paris?”

Sighing defeatedly, the boy answered in his natural Highland Scottish accent, “He’s alright. But how long have you known?”

“Since Monday night. The way you readily accepted my granddaughter’s apology, I knew something was peculiar,” the housekeeper elucidated.

This was all too much for Carmello to process. Despite Louie’s seemingly foolproof plan, he never realized how perceptive Mrs. Beakley was, thus finding out very quickly. But wait! Did she inform his _mother_ (Amelia)?? What about his brothers—Aloiso and Antonio? Did they know too? 

There were way too many questions to be answered, and Carmello wanted to ask _all_ of them at once—but he couldn’t. Instead, he was forced to answer to his doppelgänger’s housekeeper—someone he barely even _knew_.

“I have to say, though. You managed to fool me during the first three days of your visit, so congratulations on that. You’d make a very good spy— _if_ you’re interested in the field, of course. And if anyone knows me—I’m _not_ easily fooled,” said Beakley while smirking.

“A-Are you going to tell my mum? Or her siblings? They're not currently here, though,” Carmello inquired, obviously scared that she’d blow his cover.

“I won’t tell them anything— _if_ you allow me in on your scheme—which I believe was _Louie’s_ idea, am I right?” Bentina guessed. Carmello nodded again. “Then it’s settled.”

“Count me in,” said Webby, walking towards them.

“Wait—you know too?” the Scotsman asked, more puzzled than ever.

“Well duh! The way you accepted my apology kinda gave it away. Other than that, how’ve you been?” she remarked while embracing him gently.

“I’m fine. My brothers are too. But I think deep down, they miss me,” he pointed out, forming a weak smile.

“Where do they think you are?” the girl asked curiously.

“Uh....Amadora,” Carmello replied sheepishly, shrugging his shoulders.

“Oh my gosh! You went to _Portugal_?! Lucky!” Webby exhilarated, jumping up and down.

“Yeah. Technically, I’m supposed to return home in—” Carmello quickly checked his watch. “15 days.”

Webby suddenly thought about her green-clad friend’s whereabouts. “What about Louie? Where did he go?”

“Paris,” Beakley and Carmello replied simultaneously.

The girl rolled her eyes and pressed her lips together. “Of course! Anyway—call him!” she ordered.

“Alright then. Here we go.” Pulling out his phone, he dialed _(###) 555-0123_.

Suddenly, a distorted male voice came out from the other end. “Hello?”

“Oh hey Louie! Um—so here’s the thing....” the young Scotsman began while chortling nervously.

“Are you fucking kidding me??!! You _told_ them??” Louie screeched, clearly pissed off with his doppelgänger for spilling the beans.

“Calm down, dear. I found out on my _own_ , and so did Webbigail,” Mrs. Beakley answered, attempting to ease the tension.

“It’s true,” Webby confirmed. “Granny and I have known since Monday, but we didn’t tell Carmello that until just now, I _swear_.”

“You _sure_ about that, Webs?” Louie said, gritting his teeth.

“Yes! You _know_ I’m a bad liar, Louie!” she told him, hands on her hips.

Inhaling sharply, the green-clad duckling gave up and added, “Okay—so now what? You guys will narc on me?”

“We won’t, Lou. I _promise_ ,” Webby swore, crossing her heart. “As long as _you_ promise to come home the day Carmello has to leave—okay?”

“Alright—I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I guess Louie didn't get to see Big Rock Candy Mountain—again! x-(
> 
> Well, at least Carmello got to experience the wonderful scenery. But also, Louie's in Paris for crying out loud! In my opinion, he's living the dream too! :)
> 
> For those of you who read this chapter, feel free to leave comments. :)


	7. I'm Not Good Enough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louie and César get into a heated argument.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like the phone call between Louie and Carmello in Chapter 4, this chapter is quite the emotional rollercoaster, so beware! ;)
> 
> Also, feel free to leave comments! :)
> 
> Remember:  
> \- Alvarro Bordeaux (Huey's doppelgänger)  
> \- César Bordeaux (Dewey's doppelgänger)  
> \- Fabian Bordeaux (Louie's doppelgänger)

**_NOBODY’S P.O.V._ **

******SATURDAY, 04/27/2013******

Despite Mrs. Beakley and Webby knowing almost everything now, Louie anticipated how his scheme would eventually fail. _Just like_ **_last time_** _!_ But what about Carmello? If his family found out too early, would he be punished? No! Of course not! Louie wouldn’t let that happen to his doppelgänger, who was completely innocent in all this!

“God—how am I supposed to protect him if I’m not even _there_? Urgh!” he groaned.

“Tu es d’accord?” César asked the boy. Nope! Louie wasn’t going to waste time struggling to grasp all these French terms anymore. So instead, he grabbed his phone and used Gyro Gearloose’s _hyper-translation_ app.

“Oh wow! I didn’t realize you _cared_ all of a sudden!” Louie snapped angrily. **_Fuck_** _! Why am I so_ **_pissed off_ ** _today?_

“T-Tu—Tu me comprends?” César was puzzled, eyes nearly bulging out of his sockets from processing the trickster’s words repeatedly.

“Well _duh_! See, this is when hyper-translation apps come in handy!” the green-clad duckling mentioned, waving his device in the air.

“Mais quand il s'agit de langues, tu es tellement stupide!” Dewey’s French doppelgänger cried.

Louie’s eyes became extra wide as he glowered at the boy standing in front of him. “Did you just call me _dumb_?? Oh what? You think I have an IQ of _ten_ or something?” he fumed.

“Non! Ce n'est pas comme ça!” César tried defending himself, but Louie wasn’t buying it, not for one second.

“Oh _don’t_ lie to me! Even now, you’re _still_ holding a grudge over me not being able to understand French at the speed of light! Well news flash—I _don’t_ have an affinity for languages like Huey does! But that doesn’t make me dumb!” the green triplet screamed, cheeks turning red from anger and humiliation.

“Tu n'écoutes pas — ”

“No! _You’re_ the one who’s not listening! And you know what?? I’m _sick and tired_ of listening to you! Now—it’s _my_ turn!” Louie growled, glaring daggers at the other 12-year-old.

“C'est quoi ton problème?!” César exclaimed, frowning in confusion.

The talented schemer replied in a low voice, “Just shut the fuck up! You and I both know that it’s _you_ who has a problem with me— _not_ the other way around!”

“....”

“Jesus fuck! It’s bad enough that I had to endure so much crap from my _own_ family, but now _you too_?? God, when is this gonna _end_?!” Louie continued with his outburst, voice breaking as he pulled at his own hair and paced around the small living room space.

When César remained silent, the trickster stopped moving and added, “Why d’you hate me so much? I mean, really? It can’t only be because of what I just said. There’s gotta be _more_ , right? So what is it then? Is it my voice? My hair? My clothes? My personality—which my mom _also_ hates, by the way? W-What is it??!!”

Panting, Louie waited impatiently for an answer, but the middle triplet said nothing for the next two minutes. Until he finally opened his mouth, carefully selecting the right words.

“Louie—je ne te déteste pas,” César confessed softly, gazing sadly at his little brother’s doppelgänger.

“Oh that’s complete bullshit! It’s pretty _obvious_ how much you’ve despised me from the beginning! The only question is—why?” he retorted.

César shook his head again, trying to rephrase his previous sentence. “I don’t hate you,” he repeated in his natural Parisian accent. _Wait_ **_what_** _?! César speaks_ **_English_** _?? Since_ **_when_** _??_

Louie was taken aback, completely dumbfounded. “Y-You....you speak—? So this _whole_ time, you’ve been playing me?” The middle triplet nodded hesitantly, wincing a little.

“I-I just wanted you to learn a few basic phrases, that’s all,” he replied in a small voice.

“So you _lied_ to me? Made me feel like crap for not understanding French? Is that it?” the Duck triplet shouted, still fuming.

“No! I-I just called you those names in order to grab your attention! And you did—sort of,” César confessed, feeling embarrassed.

Louie began laughing humorlessly, grabbing a fistful of his own hair. “Unbelievable! I mean—you _lie_ , you’re crafty, you pull off all these schemes, you blurt out stuff without _thinking_ about how it affects other people—” He suddenly gasped. “Oh my God!”

“What?”

“You’re _me_!” the schemer realized. “But you look and sound exactly like _Dewey_ , so....I might as well be fighting with him!”

His knees started to wobble as Louie sat down on the couch. The sound of his uneven breathing was audible enough for César to hear, and so the Parisian approached him carefully.

“Louie....?” he asked concerningly.

“I get it now! After all these months, I _finally_ understand my mother! I get why she hates me so much—because I’m not good enough!” The trickster immediately covered his mouth with both hands, tears brimming in his eyes as his whole body shook.

Even though Louie consciously decided to run away, it finally hit him all at once. He didn’t just run away from home—he ran away from his _family_ , his best friend, his housekeeper. _Everyone_ whom Louie thought didn’t give a fuck about him! 

And worst of all, he put Carmello in a really tough spot, but due to his caring and jovial personality, it wasn’t a problem for him. The Scotsman would’ve done it a _million_ times over! And that’s when all the emotions came crashing down on the poor lad—sadness, grief, anger, regret, self-loathing, betrayal, _everything_!

Louie began sobbing bitterly into his hands, eyes turning red and puffy. His body continued trembling violently as hiccuping sobs echoed across the room. It was then he realized—he didn’t have a family anymore. They would’ve done just fine without him if they knew he was gone. Llewellyn Duck was all alone and the thought made him cry even harder.

The boy soon heard someone shuffling and kneeling down in front of him, grabbing both his arms and squeezing them tenderly. Louie instantly removed his hands from his face, causing César to gasp softly.

“Go ahead. Make me feel even _worse_!” Louie choked out, tears dripping from his chin and wetting the sofa cushion below.

“I won’t—because I went too far, and I’m really sorry,” César apologized, feeling terrible. “You’re right. I _do_ blurt out stuff without thinking and I sound brash at times, but I sometimes forget that it affects other people. It doesn’t make it right, though, and I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you so badly.”

Louie shook his head fervently, swallowing hard as the saltwater stumbled down his face. “No, i-it’s not you. It’s just—yeah, I could’ve done without some of those harsh comments, but I also should’ve put some effort into understanding you guys.”

The green triplet took a deep breath and unraveled the conversation Della had with Mrs. Beakley nine days earlier before dissolving into full-blown sobs again, assuming that his mother never loved him and would never accept him.

César firmly countered that statement, convincing Louie that Della could never hate him because he was her _son_ , her flesh and blood, so how was that even possible? And also, parents would lash out at their kids at times, even though occasionally, their words would cut deep. So they had to be extra careful while supplying the right words.

"I know she didn't mean what she said, but that doesn't make it okay," he pointed out.

In addition, Dewey’s doppelgänger revealed that part of the reason why he spoke French the whole time until now was because he felt more comfortable, as it _was_ his primary language. That too, they were in _France_. Although he understood and spoke English, he’d subconsciously revert to French. 

Louie nodded in understanding. “Yeah. I-I understand. And I’ll keep that in mind from now on,” he replied, still sniffling. César nodded as well, smiling weakly.

“Thank you. And for what it’s worth, you _are_ good enough. And nobody can prove it otherwise, not even me,” the Parisian concluded, ruffling Louie’s disheveled hair while maintaining his kneeling position.

Standing up, César held out his hand and pulled Louie until he was also standing. “Now—we will eat.” 

Louie was about to protest, stating that he lost his appetite during his emotional breakdown. 

However, César disagreed, shaking his head. “Nope! You are going to eat because you’re exhausted and overwhelmed, so don’t even _try_ arguing with me on this.”

The trickster sighed hopelessly while swiping the remaining tears from his cheeks. “Okay.”

“Here.” César handed Louie a clean towel to wipe his face. “You can wash up in the restroom while I turn on the stovetop, okay?” With that, the middle triplet gently patted Louie’s cheek twice before sending him off.

* * *

“I still can’t believe you can cook!” the green triplet said out loud 30 minutes later. “This is _delicious_!” he added, mouth stuffed with quiche.

“Merci. It’s my absolute favorite recipe. My mother used to make it _all_ the time before she commenced her new job,” César admitted, causing Louie to swallow immediately.

“Really?”

“Mm hmm.”

“Wow. I—I almost forgot you mom’s not really around much,” Louie noted sympathetically.

The Parisian shrugged. “It’s alright. We’re used to it. Besides, she always takes these business trips, so that’s why Alvarro often lectures me and Fabian. Well—mostly _me_ , but still.” 

César paused for a moment, taking a deep breath before adding, “With both our parents working internationally, he’s basically our third parent—walking us to school, taking us back, cooking most of our meals, washing our clothes, keeping the apartment clean, occasionally filling out tax/insurance forms, etcetera. Also, our uncles and aunts live too far away, so....”

“Wait, you said both your parents....where’s your _dad_?” Louie inquired.

“He was in Italy just a few weeks ago, but now he's in Algeria. Soon, he’ll go to Morocco and then Spain,” César informed him while picking at his own food.

“Whoa! And all this time, I complained about _my_ mom being gone for so long. Damn! You guys are so self-reliant! I’m jealous,” the younger boy exclaimed, clearly impressed. 

Dewey’s doppelgänger chuckled. “Thank you. And what about you? Tell me more about your family. How are your brothers doing anyway? I haven’t seen them since last year when your family visited the city.”

“Well....”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beforehand, César was sort of acting like a jerk, especially towards Louie, but I'm glad they finally came to an understanding and put their differences behind them. Besides, César did remind Louie of Dewey, and how much he missed his own brothers.
> 
> This is my favorite chapter written so far. :)
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! :)


	8. Maybe We're Trying Too Hard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Huey and Dewey also become suspicious of their 'brother's' recent behavior, while the real Louie offers a heartbreaking perspective of his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this fic so far. :)
> 
> I'm not going to give away too much for this particular chapter because otherwise, I'd spoil it completely. All I can say is prepare to go through yet another emotional rollercoaster.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy reading! :)

**_NOBODY’S P.O.V._ **

******SAME DAY******

“Psst! Louie, wake up!” Huey hissed from the edge of the bottom bunk.

“Hmm?” Carmello stirred before opening his eyes.

“I need to ask you something.” The eldest climbed onto Louie’s bed and waited for the Scotsman to turn around.

“Shoot.”

“Yesterday, when we were at Big Rock Candy Mountain, what were you talking about with Webby and Mrs. B?” Huey asked curiously. _Shit! Now_ **_Huey’s_ ** _on my case_ **_too_** _?_

Carmello found himself panicking again. He almost clutched his own chest, but then realized that his oldest brother’s doppelgänger was still staring at him, eager to hear his answer.

Finally giving in, the Scotsman sighed and came up with another lie. “Um—Webby wanted to apologize to me properly, so uh—yeah. That’s all it was. I told her not to beat herself up over it too much, but—you know her.”

“Oh wow! Really?” Huey’s eyebrows were raised. “Huh.”

“Yeah. Anyway uh—g’night. We gotta wake up early tomorrow,” Carmello told him, yawning again.

“Right—Mrs. B’s lesson,” Huey said out loud. _Well—at least I know Louie’s_ **_home-schooled_** _._

“I thought tomorrow was Sunday?” the Scotsman pointed out, brows furrowed in confusion.

“Huh? Oh yeah! I must’ve forgotten for a sec. Silly me!” the red triplet replied, slapping his own forehead. “We have _another_ adventure waiting for us,” he added, smiling excitedly.

“Yep! Now let’s get some sleep!” Carmello suggested, already closing his eyes before losing consciousness 30 seconds later. 

While the former slept, Huey almost tripped on shattered glass below Louie’s bed. However, right next to it was a Waddle phone with _Carmello’s_ name engraved onto it. Once the eldest picked it up, he silently gasped. Uh oh! That did _not_ sound good!

“What the—?” _Why does Louie have_ **_Carmello’s phone_ ** _with him??_

Before he knew it, Huey stepped outside the room and listened attentively to Carmello’s most recent messages. At first, the red-clad duckling didn’t want to invade his friend’s privacy, but something felt off, and Huey craved for some answers.

“Hey man! It’s me. So um—the guys and I are heading off to the Musée d'Orsay in like ten minutes. In the meantime, you already know what to do, so yeah. I’ll call you after we’re done, okay? Cool, thanks. Louie out.” _Wait...._ ** _Louie out_** _?? But this message was sent_ **_45 minutes ago_** _! How is that even_ **_possible_** _?_ _?_

Whatever the reason was, Huey would get to the bottom of it! Besides, how could Louie be in _Paris_ (France) right now unless he secretly booked a plane to—wait a minute! _No—that_ **_can’t_ ** _be right! Louie was_ **_here_ ** _the_ **_whole time_** _! And why on Earth did he steal_ **_Carmello’s phone_** _—?_

And finally, it clicked. Either Louie was angry at Carmello for some reason. Or....Louie _was_ actually in Paris and _not_ in Duckburg, which meant that whoever was sleeping in Louie’s bed—was an imposter or _doppelgänger_ of some sorts! _But_ **_who_** _??_

“Psst! Hey Dew, wake up!” Hearing his name, the middle triplet suddenly yelped and almost punched his older brother in the face.

“Urgh! _What_?” he whined.

“I gotta tell you something!” Huey initiated.

“Well spit it out so I can go back to sleep!” Dewey snapped.

“You know how Louie seemed a bit off lately, right?” The eldest placed Carmello’s phone in his middle sibling’s hands.

“Yeah....?” the blue triplet replied unsurely before playing the message out loud.

* * *

******SUNDAY, 04/28/2013******

It was 9:45am (Pacific Time) and 6:45pm (Central European Time). Everyone except for Scrooge, Donald, Della, and Carmello had gathered right outside the triplets’ bedroom to discuss this matter in detail.

“ _Why_ would Louie run away? And how did he even pull it off?” The oldest triplet demanded, glaring at Mrs. Beakley and Webby at the same time.

“Well um—he didn't really explain that to us, dear,” Bentina reminded him uncertainly.

“If it helps, though, Louie’s _only_ been communicating with Granny and Carmello—that’s it. He hasn’t talked to me for two days,” Webby added despondently.

“So what do we do then? Just wait patiently for Louie to come back? And what about Carmello? Should we tell him that we know already?” Dewey asked frantically, pulling at his own hair.

“Yes, I think you should let him know,” Beakley advised the older two triplets. The middle triplet nodded and headed towards his room to confront Louie’s doppelgänger.

“You know what? I’m calling him!” Huey grabbed his phone and dialed Louie’s number. It rang for another 20 seconds before he finally responded.

“Hello?”

“Hey Lou! It’s me. Dewey and I—well—we know you’re not here right now. But we _won’t_ tell our uncles or Mom about your plan, okay? So you have nothing to worry about,” the red triplet ensured, smiling nervously.

After a moment of silence, Louie cleared his throat softly. “Why are you calling?” he demanded anxiously. 

Huey’s brows furrowed in confusion. “W-Well, because Dewey and I just found out. So of course we’d call you eventually.”

The youngest felt his bottom lip tremble. “Oh! Um....okay.”

“Also—” The red triplet sighed morosely. “I wanted to apologize for what happened that day. Even though my favorite copy of the J.W.G. was ruined, I shouldn’t have lashed out at you in the first place. It was an _accident_ , and shoving you was also not okay. So I’m _really_ sorry.”

Nodding while breathing unevenly, Louie responded softly, “It’s okay. I um—I-I forgive you.”

“Lou....” the Junior Woodchuck began shakily. “Y-You don’t have to forgive me if you don’t want to. It’s okay. _I_ wouldn’t have forgiven me either.”

“No, I—I _do_ forgive you. It’s just—maybe we’re trying too hard, you know?” the trickster pointed out hesitantly.

Huey gaped. “W-What?”

Louie sighed again and explained how even though he appreciated his brother’s sincere apology and definitely forgave him for it, they were all trying too hard to be a family. And as brothers themselves, they were too different, sharing no common interests whatsoever.

“S-So....what are you saying?” the eldest asked as his own voice shook violently, dreading the answer that his little brother would soon give.

The green-clad duckling began tearing up, but managed to keep his voice steady. “Maybe we used to have something in common, but not anymore. I mean, besides living with Uncle Donald and sharing a room, we were more like _roommates_ than brothers.”

“....”

“And I guess—that’s what we have to do. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not _mad_ at you guys or anything. You’re _both_ forgiven. It’s just....I don't think we should be _brothers_ anymore. I-It’s too hard. We can still be roommates, if you want. That’s fine,” Louie suggested, a huge lump forming in his throat.

Huey slowly felt his heart breaking. This couldn’t be happening! Louie didn’t want to be brothers with them anymore? God! He couldn’t breathe let alone _move_. It was all too much for him to handle. And so the eldest remained silent, anticipating his baby brother’s final words.

“Now I know what you’re thinking. ‘But we’re _triplets_!’ Yes, that’s definitely true, and that’ll never change. But....it doesn’t necessarily mean we’re _brothers_. You know what I’m saying?” Yeah—Huey didn’t dare to speak. Otherwise, he’d start crying. _Save that for_ **_later_** _._ He noted.

“Anyway, since you’re not responding, I’ll take that as a _yes_. Don’t worry, though. I _am_ coming back. Then we can figure out our roommate situation, ‘kay? Oh and also, I’ll let the others know about my plan—and uh, we’ll go from there. Cool? Great! I’ll see you then. Bye.” And with that, the green triplet hung up.

Huey just stood there, frozen in shock and overwhelming sadness. Did he just lose his _baby brother_? And for what? Because he yelled at him ten days ago? Was Louie still angry at them? That must’ve been the reason—right? Or did he actually forgive them and just _give up_ , losing all hope of them becoming a proper family? If so, were they truly forgiven?

All these questions were swirling inside Huey’s head, screaming for answers. Soon, he couldn’t take it anymore as he walked slowly to the bathroom adjacent to his bedroom, closing the door behind him. Fortunately, Beakley and Webby had already left while the two brothers were still talking, so the boy felt grateful for his privacy.

As soon as he stared at himself in the mirror for 40 seconds, Huey broke down in uncontrollable sobs, suppressing them with both hands. Big fat tears coated the boy’s face and dripped into the sink. _What have I_ **_done_** _?_ He pondered, fixating his swollen red eyes on a photo of the three of them making funny faces while laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn! This was so depressing yet ironically fun to write! Poor Huey and Louie! :( 
> 
> But then again, it works, so there you go.
> 
> Hope you liked this chapter! :)


	9. You Like Our New Getup?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Huey and Dewey discover the real reason why Louie ran away, they formulate a plan of their own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a Huey & Dewey-centric chapter, so hope you enjoy it! :)

**_NOBODY’S P.O.V._ **

******MONDAY, 04/29/2013******

For the past 24 hours, Huey had secluded himself from everybody, lying that he had to work on important Junior Woodchuck stuff during their latest adventure. Even though today was an off-day, the eldest didn’t care. 

Nothing had mattered anymore. Why would it? Louie no longer considered them his family, causing Huey to fall into a depression. He even snapped at his fellow Junior Woodchucks during their morning cook-out.

“Wow! I didn’t know Hue-Bot had _feelings_! I’m impressed!” Bully Beagle exclaimed snarkily. Big mistake!

Huey stomped towards him and grabbed his collar, fuming. “Hey, why don’t you shut the fuck up? No one here gives a shit about _anything_ you say,” he snarled. The whole crowd gasped. Huey usually never swore unless he was pissed off or experiencing another intense emotion.

“Geez, _someone_ woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning!” Bully Beagle said mockingly.

“I’m sorry, did I _stutter_? I said FUCK OFF!!” the red triplet screamed, startling the dog. Fortunately, he obeyed and backed off, holding his hands up in surrender.

Meanwhile, Dewey was angry. No, he was _livid_. After hearing Della’s secret conversation with Mrs. Beakley? Then yeah! Of course he was _beyond_ pissed off right now! But how in the world did he find out? Apparently, an active DT-87 robot had subtly recorded his mother’s rant while Louie was eavesdropping on them.

“I’m gonna head downstairs. You coming?” Dewey told Carmello. Obviously, he didn’t blame his little brother’s doppelgänger for anything. In fact, Carmello was the _only_ person whom Louie could lean on when things had gone down to shit, which the middle triplet was super grateful for.

“Yeah. I just need to change first,” the latter mentioned cheerfully, eager to proceed with today’s events. Two hours later, Huey apologized to Dewey for ignoring the family yesterday.

Claiming it was fine, the blue triplet held out the exact same recording of their mother venting to Mrs. Beakley eleven days earlier, which made Huey angrier than before. In return, the red triplet admitted what Louie said to him over the phone yesterday.

Before they decided to confront Della firsthand, the same DT-87 robot played another recording of her, discussing ethics and morality. These videos were taped right before they visited Big Rock Candy Mountain for the first time— _without_ Louie.

“....If you want to be a _part_ of this family—you gotta _stop_.” Bullshit! What right did she have to say that?! Considering that Della _herself_ stole the Spear of Selene and took off while disregarding the consequences!

“That woman needs to _go_!” Dewey growled, sniffling softly as tears sprung in his eyes. God! He _really_ missed his baby brother, but it was worse since Louie practically disowned his entire family, only regarding them as housemates.

“I mean, _she’s_ the reason our baby brother left _and_ disowned us! H-How can we let her stay here after everything she—!” The middle triplet cut himself off, unable to finish his sentence. After a few more seconds, he continued. 

“All this time, I _worshipped_ the ground she walked on. But now....I dunno who she _is_ anymore.” Dewey palms covered his eyes as saltwater seeped through his fingers. Huey grabbed his little brother’s arms and massaged them gently, hoping to provide some comfort.

“And I agree _completely_. But how are we gonna do it? Our uncles will be crushed once they find out!” he wondered. 

Dewey shook his head and held out a weird-looking ornament. There was clear duct tape wrapped around it, holding the broken pieces together.

“I stole this from Uncle Donald’s back pocket. Apparently, Della gave it to him and Uncle Scrooge as a token of gratitude before we were born,” he revealed, gritting his teeth.

“Also, DT-87 played another _spectacular_ tape starring our beloved uncles arguing over God knows what—but guess what I found out?” Dewey pointed towards the said robot and ordered it to play the recording.

“Wait—Uncle Donald lost _another_ job and he didn’t tell us?! And why did they take it out on Louie? He didn’t do it on purpose! It was an _accident_!” Huey exclaimed frustratedly, referring to the broken ornament in his little brother’s hands.

“That’s _exactly_ what I said!” the middle triplet agreed, holding his hands out.

“But then again—we were _just_ as much to blame that day, and so was Webby. Remember the awful things _we_ said to him? No wonder he disowned us,” the oldest triplet pointed out, scoffing sadly.

“But we _actually_ apologized to him, including Webby. While you were in the bathroom, I called him too, remember?” Dewey reminded him.

“Yeah, I remember.”

“So now let’s focus on the plan. Besides, we can’t really rely on our uncles right now, ‘cause they’ll definitely take _her_ side. But we need to piss her off somehow....” Dewey said in a low voice.

“I have an idea!” Huey chimed in, grinning mischievously while rubbing his palms together.

* * *

A few hours later, the adults were happily brewing tea and coffee. Donald was whistling a catchy tune while Scrooge and Della hummed along. Suddenly, the door opened, revealing two 12-year-old ducks wearing spiked black leather jackets. Okay—did Huey and Dewey officially become the coolest guys ever?? :)

Dewey’s hair looked pretty much the same, except it was spikier than usual. On the other hand, Huey’s hair was greased back (like the author’s profile pic). Yeah so—the adults were at a loss for words. **_When_ ** _did our boys_ **_grow up so fast_** _?_

“Oh! My boys look so handsome! Don’t they, Uncle Scrooge?” Della squealed, ready to pinch her sons’ cheeks.

Scrooge chuckled and added, “Aye, they sure do! So what’s the occasion, lads? Or is this some sort of new ‘badass phase’ as you kids would say?” Donald shook his head disbelievingly while glaring at his uncle.

“What? Surely you don’t disagree with me, do you lass?” the old man said defensively. Sighing defeatedly, the sailor reverted his gaze back to Huey and Dewey.

“So—you like our new getup?” the blue-clad duckling asked with fake excitement. Their mother and great-uncle continued beaming while Donald wore an unreadable expression.

“I’m sure you three have lots of questions regarding our new style of clothing, but um—we gotta run. Lena’s waiting for us,” the red-clad duckling added as-a-matter-of-factly, checking his watch and pointing towards the exit.

“Ah wait wait wait! Hold on! Just because we like your new outfits, you _can’t_ wear them outside. Sorry, lads—but you don’t want to give anyone the wrong impression, do you?” Scrooge argued in a surprisingly mature fashion.

“Uncle Scrooge is right. If you two wanna go outside, you gotta change first,” Della ordered gently, still smiling. Donald simply nodded in agreement.

“D’you hear that, Dew? We can’t go anywhere dressed in this getup. What will people think? Since I usually submit to authority, I’m gonna have to go with them on this,” Huey lied through his teeth, except this time, he was nailing it.

“What? B-But we — ” Dewey fake-protested.

“Ah bup bup! You heard them! Let’s go upstairs!” the eldest fake-scolded his blue-clad brother, pointing at the stairs.

“Fine! You win....” the middle sibling sighed exaggeratedly. “Let’s go.” 

Once they noticed their guardians’ satisfied expressions, instead of heading back to their room, both boys snickered victoriously and quietly stepped outside the mansion.

“Psst! Launchpad! Start the engine!” Dewey hissed before entering the limo, followed by Huey and Webby.

“Whoa! Webs, you look badass in that leather jacket! Gotta say, I'm jealous!” the aspiring adventurer exclaimed while smirking.

“Yeah. But we should probably go now before Granny finds out that I’m wearing it outside,” she replied sheepishly.

“Anyway, let’s go! Step on it, Launchpad!” Dewey ordered his best friend.

“Whatever you say, Dewey! Let’s par-tay!” the pilot announced before driving towards Lena and Violet’s house.

“Woo hoo!” the ducklings cheered.

“Man! Mom’s gonna be _so_ mad!” the blue triplet celebrated.

“And let’s not forget Uncle Donald!” the red triplet added contentedly.

“And Uncle Scrooge!” Webby told them.

“Yeah—I have a feeling it’s comin’ outta my salary,” Launchpad anticipated.

* * *

Three hours later, back at McDuck Manor....

“Wait WHAT??!!” Donald shrieked.

“Was Louie behind all this? If so, that boy is grounded _indefinitely_!” Della fumed. Uh oh!

“Actually, dear—Louie’s upstairs in his room. He had no idea about any of this,” Mrs. Beakley told her, causing the pilot to wince guiltily, yet she still suspected something was off.

“As for the other two, those boys are in a _boatload_ of trouble!” Scrooge growled. “Beakley! Call Launchpad!” he commanded.

“On it, Mr. McDuck!” Bentina called from the lobby. “Oh children! What on _Earth_ have you been up to?” she sighed helplessly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FYI, when Dewey mentioned that he called Louie as well, Louie told Huey to notify Dewey about the 'brothers/roommates' conversation, so that's why the middle triplet didn't hear about it until the next day.
> 
> Also, I didn't really write about Dewey's apology to the real Louie, but just so you know, he definitely apologized.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading this chapter and hope you enjoyed it! :)


	10. You've Gone Too Far

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Della decides to confront them about their leather jacket stunt, Huey and Dewey finally tell her off, which leads to another huge fallout and a shocking realization.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was so much angst in the previous chapter, and now this one too! Wow! I'm on a roll here! ;)
> 
> Anyway, enjoy! :)

**_NOBODY’S P.O.V._ **

******SAME DAY******

“Wait....we’re _not_ grounded yet?” Huey inquired, utterly confused. The pilot nodded with uncertainty, having something else in mind. Dewey was shocked. Why didn’t Della punish them right away? She would’ve _definitely_ grounded —

“What if _Louie_ did the exact same thing? Then what would you have done?” he asked firmly, folding his arms in frustration.

“Ah ha! So you _admit_ it was his idea?” Della cried, nostrils flaring.

“What?! No! Mrs. Beakley was telling the truth! Louie had _no idea_ what we were up to!” Huey tried to convince her, internally panicking. _Deep breaths, Hubert!_ **_Deep breaths_** _._

“Yeah, but let’s pretend Louie did it instead of us. Would you have punished him the _exact_ same way?” Dewey repeated, losing patience.

“Sweetie, don’t change the subject — ” Della tried to warn him.

“I’m not changing the subject. It’s a simple question! _Would_ you have given him an equal punishment— _yes_ or _no_?!” he nearly screamed.

“ _Why_ does it matter?!” she retorted defensively.

“Because he’s _your_ son too!!” Dewey shouted furiously. The pilot took a step back with a dumbfounded expression. “Or have you _forgotten_ already??”

“W-What are you talking about? I-I don’t — ” Della spluttered, flabbergasted by her middle son’s outburst. That’s when Huey decided to chip in.

“We know about the DT-87 recordings,” he deadpanned.

“W-What recordings??”

“Oh don’t act like you don’t know! We watched _both_ of them!” the blue triplet snapped before gesturing to the said robot hovering next to them. “Whenever you’re ready, DT-87.”

“Accessing both videos,” the bot announced in its typical monotone voice before displaying her ethics video first. Della already knew about that one.

* * *

However, the second video was completely unexpected, causing her sons to grin triumphantly.

“W-Wait—how did you know about that?” she asked inquisitively, anxiety and guilt building up in her chest.

“Doesn’t matter. Point is, we found out earlier this morning. And trust me, Mom—it wasn’t pretty,” he replied tersely. 

Honestly, Dewey sounded scary whenever his voice was low _and_ soft at the same time. It was menacing, almost like he was ready to murder someone. But thank God he was sane enough to restrain himself.

“Well—I don’t know what to say about that. I already apologized to your brother last week — ” she countered, but was interrupted by Dewey once again.

“ _No_ , Mom! You apologized for calling him a disappointment, not for what happened _after_ that! You blindly assumed he didn’t hear anything you said, but he _did_!” he fumed.

“I-I don’t understand!” Dewey added. “Why d’you hate him so much?! Huh? What did he _ever_ do to you??” At this point, the middle triplet was close to tears, but he refused to let them fall—not in front of his so-called _mother_.

“....”

“So you admit it then?” he deduced shakily.

“No! Of _course_ not!” Della argued, fearing her sons’ harsh reactions.

“Then what is it?! ‘Cause none of us are perfect, Mom! We’ve _all_ made mistakes!” Dewey screeched, causing Huey to flinch. _And to think_ **_I've_ ** _inherited the_ **_McDuck temper_** _!_

“I know that! It’s just — ”

“Just _what_??!!”

“Those were _my mistakes_!!” she hollered, her voice breaking. This time, the boys took a step back. 

“W-Wait _what_?” Their eyes widened in shock. Della sighed and explained how she used to pull elaborate pranks on Scrooge and especially Donald, which included _schemes_. Dun dun dun! Again, all I wanted to do was add some dramatic flair, so sue me!

Anyway, the pilot claimed that her worst regret was pulling off a scheme which involved stealing the _Spear of Selene_ , causing her to unintentionally leave her family behind and end up being stranded on the Moon for eleven years. Yeah, what else is new? Sorry—rhetorical question.

Point being, she admitted that every time Louie did something wrong, it reminded Della of the mistakes _she_ had made as well. And that constant reminder drove her crazy. Not that she was _proud_ of lashing out at him, but most times, she couldn’t help herself. And tragically, it was an automatic response to his behavior.

Dewey repeatedly shook his head, lips firmly pressed together. “Mom—you need _serious_ help!”

“I-I know—but I — ”

“But nothing, Mom! You’ve already _ruined_ this family by taking off....” The middle triplet continued going over his mother’s mistakes, which were almost endless. It was partially due to his own anger over Della abandoning her sons, but mostly because Louie no longer considered himself as part of the family—and it was all _her_ fault!

However, after 90 seconds of her son angrily telling her off, Della couldn’t take it anymore, and so she finally snapped.

“ENOUGH! How _dare_ you talk to me like that!! You have _no idea_ how much shit I’ve endured on the Moon, spending eleven years alone with absolutely _no_ human contact whatsoever!! I tried so hard to get back to guys, but it was almost _impossible_ — ” she shrieked iratedly.

“Then maybe you should’ve STAYED THERE!!” Dewey bellowed before running out the triplets’ bedroom, unable to look his mother in the eye without screaming himself sick.

Meanwhile, Huey closed his eyes for one quick second, processing everything that was said. He couldn’t believe how quickly this family was falling apart—for a third time. It was the Sunchaser incident all over again, but _ten_ times worse.

“He’s right, Mom,” Huey elaborated without raising his voice. “This family’s already fallen apart _twice_ because of you. But now—it’s happening again. And it’s all your fault.” 

The 12-year-old stood up and strolled quietly towards the door. Turning around, he confessed, “You’re not a bad person—but this time, you’ve gone too far.” And with that, Huey exited the room in order to search for his immediate little brother, leaving Della stricken with extreme shock and regret.

Suddenly, Mrs. Beakley appeared out of nowhere and leaned against the wooden door, smirking. “Have to admit, I’m impressed. Your sons managed to weaponize guilt in a matter of _minutes_. Oh well—looks like my work here is done.”

Before leaving the room, the housekeeper added knowingly, “Oh—and careful what you say around children. They know a _lot_ more than you think.”

* * *

It was like a slap in the face. Those words echoed in Della’s mind for the next few minutes as she silently dragged herself towards the front door and walked away from the mansion.

Heavy showers started rolling in as the water seeped through Della’s clothes and feathers. She took several deep breaths and closed her eyes.

20 minutes later, the pilot was completely drenched from head-to-toe as she returned to the house, not bothering to wipe herself with a towel. Suddenly, she turned around and ran back outside. **_Forget_ ** _umbrellas! I’m running towards the_ **_forest_** _!_

Spotting a familiar figure as she entered the woodland, Della gasped. “L-Louie?” The other person winced, also soaking wet while squeezing water out of Louie’s hoodie. 

“That’s the thing....I’m _not_ him,” the other person revealed in his Highland Scottish accent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now Della knows too? Unbelievable!
> 
> Besides that, I hope you liked this chapter! :)


	11. There's Always Light At The End of The Tunnel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Huey suffers from more depression after hearing Dewey's lamentation while Carmello has another plan in store. Meanwhile, the Bordeaux triplets convince Louie that it's not too late to make amends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry. This chapter is less depressing than the previous one.
> 
> Enjoy! :)

**_NOBODY’S P.O.V._ **

******SAME DAY******

“Dewey! Where are you?” Huey called out to his middle sibling. It took him half-an-hour to locate the boy. There was a locked door leading to one of the guest rooms, so the eldest suspected that his brother was in there.

Turned out, Huey was right as soft sniffles and hiccups were heard from outside the room. Knocking on the door, the eldest continued repeating Dewey’s name until the blue-clad triplet finally opened it, revealing himself.

The boy’s hair was disheveled and his face was twisted in sorrow and agony. There were tear tracks all over his cheeks, his eyes bloodshot and swollen from sobbing really hard earlier.

“Louie was right. M-Maybe we should just— _stop_ trying,” Dewey choked out as more tears escaped from his eyes. Huey shook his head in protest and gave his little brother the saddest look he’d ever seen, twin tears falling down his own face.

“Dew — ” His voice broke, pleading for his rambunctious little brother to change his mind—but he didn’t.

“I-I don’t know what to _think_ anymore. So yeah—I guess we’re better off _not_ being—you know—” Dewey didn’t have to finish his sentence for Huey to figure out what he was talking about. It was the same conversation with Louie all over again.

“You said it yourself. Our family’s fallen apart _twice_ now, so why bother trying to fix it? It’ll just happen _over and over_ again. We might as well be stuck in a time loop or something, like in *Groundhog Day*—reliving the same fucking moment,” he added softly.

“Anyway....” Dewey cleared his throat before wiping away the remaining tears. “I’m gonna take a shower. Hopefully, Carmello’s done with his. And speaking of which, I should probably check on him, so uh—g’night.” He passed by his red-clad brother and exited the room as quickly as possible.

Huey stood there and surveyed the area. There was a queen-sized bed with a lamp right next to it, which was still on. The pillows were soaked in Dewey’s tears and smelled like the ocean. 

Slowly climbing onto the bed, the Junior Woodchuck curled himself in a ball and allowed his tears to wet the sheets below. He was weeping quietly, but on the inside, Huey was completely numb.

* * *

******TUESDAY, 04/30/2013******

“Urgh! Why are my fingers so numb?! I can’t feel anything!” Louie complained while pouting like a five-year-old.

“Will you stop whining? It’s not a ‘big deal’ as you Americans would say,” César remarked, eyebrows raised.

“Aw! You really _do_ love me!” Louie teased him with a touched expression. Dewey's doppelgänger simply shook his head in denial.

“Tais-toi! C’est _pas_ vrai!” he retaliated scoldingly.

“Vous deux êtes impossibles!” Alvarro muttered while washing the remaining dishes.

“Sortons-nous aujourd'hui?” Fabian asked softly. Louie’s brows furrowed in confusion.

“He’s asking if we’re going out today,” Huey’s doppelgänger translated for the billionth time.

“Oui!” César replied without hesitation. “But we have to eat first, correct?”

“Exactement!” Alvarro agreed, preparing the next meal.

* * *

******WEDNESDAY, 05/01/2013******

“Have you tried calling your brothers?” Fabian inquired while the four of them were on their evening walk.

“Uh....no, not really. Why?” Louie replied, eager to change the subject.

“Forgive me....I-I was curious. I can’t imagine being away from my brothers for so long,” his French doppelgänger confessed with a solemn expression.

“Yeah, well—you know why I ran away, right?” Louie pointed out while shrugging nonchalantly.

“Because they were mean to you?” Fabian guessed unsurely.

“W-Well yeah. But also um—I realized that I don’t belong in the family anymore. I never really did,” admitted the green triplet.

“Oh....I’m so sorry to hear that. But like Alvarro and César said, it’s never too late,” the Parisian reminded him.

“Yeah right. There’s no point in trying to fix anything. It’ll just go haywire like it always does. First the Spear of Selene, then the Sunchaser, and now?” Louie sighed hopelessly. 

“In my experience, there’s no happily ever after. It _sucks_ —but it’s also life. And as a realist, I have to accept that,” the trickster concluded.

“I disagree. There’s always light at the end of the tunnel,” Alvarro said out loud from behind them.

“Oui. Il y a _toujours_ de la lumière au bout du tunnel,” César repeated, emphasizing the word ‘always’.

“Now can we please talk about something _less_ depressing? I’m famished!” he added exasperatedly. The other three nodded, their stomachs growling.

* * *

******THURSDAY, 05/02/2013******

It had been almost three days since the McDuck family’s _third_ ultimate fallout (and hopefully the _last_ ). Aside from the excited chatter and informative lectures, the overall atmosphere was somewhat melancholic.

Huey fell into a deeper depression, contemplating _suicide_ at times before reprimanding himself for having such thoughts. Normally, he wouldn’t cry openly in front of others, but this time, he didn’t give a shit. Since that awful night, Huey’s eyes had remained slightly red and puffy.

Meanwhile, Dewey continued ignoring his mother, distracting himself by chatting with Webby so he wouldn’t have to cast hateful glares in her direction. _Just keep talking to_ **_Webs_ ** _and_ **_ignore_ ** _Mom._ **_Focus_ ** _on the_ **_positives_** _._

But then his thoughts wandered over to his big brother, regretting what he said to him three days ago. The middle triplet stared longingly at Huey’s distraught expression, eyes baggy and incredibly red. **_Shit_** _! I’ve gone_ **_too far_** _! I’ll talk to him once we_ **_reach_** _._ Oh you _better_ will or else!

However, the girl was worried about Huey and Dewey’s current emotional instability, relying on her grandmother for advice on how to eventually fix this mess. But for the first time ever, Bentina had no idea what to do.

On the other hand, Carmello was quite cheerful and peppy today, determined to set things right by convincing Scrooge to fly all the way to Paris as a relaxing getaway. But more importantly, guess who was there? Exactly! Family trap ignited!

“Ah! Here we are! Paris! We came here last year, remember?” Scrooge beamed, causing Beakley to glare suspiciously at Carmello.

“Dear, what _exactly_ are you planning?” she demanded, arms crossed.

He grinned. “You’ll see!” Sighing, she smiled softly and quickly ruffled his hair.

Carmello soon dialed his brothers’ numbers and revealed everything. Unfortunately, Aloiso started chastising him for planning a crazy scheme with Louie as well as lying to their faces about his ‘extended’ field trip to Amadora (Lisbon District, Portugal).

“I mean, you could’ve at _least_ let us in on this plan! Instead, Antonio and I were stuck at home, bored out of our minds!” the oldest Featherwing triplet complained.

Antonio, however, was more concerned than upset. Being a mother hen, he asked the typical questions in a calm and rational manner: Was he eating properly? Did he get enough sleep? Did he practice his American accent everyday in the shower? Was he caught red-handed earlier than expected?

“Yes, Antonio. But don’t worry, I wasn’t caught right away! Er—okay. Forget I mentioned that. Just _please_ come to Paris,” Carmello begged his older brothers.

Looking at each other, Aloiso and Antonio finally came to a decision. “Alright. So what’s the plan?”

While Carmello was going over the details, Scrooge and Donald finally realized what was going on and nodded their heads in understanding.

“Looks like the cat’s out of the bag, lass,” the old man said knowingly.

“Yep. The question is, should we inform his mother?” Donald suggested.

“Nah. It’s better if Carmello tells her firsthand. Besides, we’re gonna make sure this family is fixed before Mother’s Day or else!” Scrooge added threateningly, smiling in earnest as Donald did the same.

“Because we’re McDucks?” the sailor emphasized, brows raised in amusement.

“Exactly! We’re _McDucks_!” the billionaire declared with absolute confidence. _And_ **_nothing_ ** _will stop us!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that Carmello's brothers know about Louie's original scheme, what d'you think will happen?
> 
> Oh, and let's not forget about Scrooge and Donald? What d'you think they'll do? :o
> 
> Hope you liked this fic so far and please read the previous chapters for more context.
> 
> Thank you! :)


	12. I Take It All Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Della is forced to make an abrupt decision that will drastically change the course of events. Meanwhile, Scrooge, Donald, Huey, and Dewey encounter Louie after a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My bois have been through a lot lately, so I thought I'd give them at least an ounce of relief in this chapter.
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoy it and let me know what you think! :)

**_NOBODY’S P.O.V._ **

******SAME DAY******

The whole family was strolling through the exact same arrondissement where the Bordeaux triplets were currently living. While Carmello explained further to Della what he and Louie were up to over the past two weeks, Dewey decided to confront Huey as gently as possible.

“Huey—can we talk?” the former asked his older brother anxiously.

“I dunno. You tell me,” the Junior Woodchuck deadpanned, averting his gaze.

“I....” Dewey trailed off, struggling to find the right words. “I’m really sorry — ”

“For what? Stating the _facts_? You don’t have to apologize for that. You were right,” Huey stated dejectedly, cutting him off.

“No, I wasn’t. I was _wrong_. I should’ve never said those things — ” Dewey argued.

“But you and Louie brought up a good point. I mean, what do we even _have_ in common other than living together? By those standards—we _are_ just roommates. So what makes us brothers?” Huey also had a valid point. What _did_ make them brothers in the first place?

“We fight. We annoy each other 24/7. We say horrible stuff that we don’t mean before taking it back a-and....” Dewey stammered before taking a deep breath. **_Jesus_** _! Why is this so_ **_hard_** _?_

“We think we’re better off _without_ each other but we’re not, no matter how many times we say it. Some examples would be, you know—sky pirates, Only Child Day, hiding the truth about Mom, nearly falling off the Sunchaser’s wing, time-travelling back to visit Mom and Uncle Donald as kids — ” he lamented.

“Whoa whoa whoa! I’m gonna stop you right there,” the eldest chuckled. “First of all, I’ve forgiven you for _all_ those things. And second, stop beating yourself over keeping secrets about Mom. We’ve discussed that like a million times for over a _year_ now.”

Tears started forming in Dewey’s eyes. “I don’t want us to stop being brothers. Don’t tell anyone, but I _love_ being the middle child. It gives me an excuse to stand out even more,” the blue triplet confessed while choking up.

Ironically, Huey began laughing wholeheartedly. Why, you ask? Because he felt so much better now. After three days of being down in the dumps, Dewey blurted out exactly what he wanted to hear (well— _almost_ ).

“W-What’s so funny?” the younger boy faltered.

Huey shook his head, still laughing. “Aw man! You have _no_ idea how long I’ve waited for you to say that! And now you _did_! Woo hoo!”

“So—you’re _not_ mad?” Now Dewey was really confused.

“What are you talking about? I was never _mad_! I mean, yeah—I _was_ pretty depressed, but still! I knew deep down, you were in a vulnerable place that night. Besides, I had a lot of other things goin’ on, so....” the red triplet countered.

“....”

“Look—I was in a really bad place too. Between Louie running away and his phone call, plus watching Mom’s DT-87 videos, I was extremely upset. And once you shut me out, I couldn’t take it anymore, so I lost all hope. But now? I stand corrected. You only had doubts because you were scared, not ‘cause you _actually_ believed it—and I’m _so_ glad you didn’t,” Huey clarified, yet Dewey was still at a loss for words.

“And you know what? Screw it! We’re the Duck boys! So you and I are _not_ gonna stand here and watch Louie constantly doubt his place in the family. We’ll have to convince him otherwise, even if it _kills_ us!” the older boy declared.

Dewey winced in response. “How ‘bout we do that and _not_ get killed?”

Huey shrugged and nodded. “Well—that works too!”

“So—you’re okay now?” asked Dewey in an are-you-sure voice.

“Yeah—I’m okay,” replied Huey with absolute certainty before hugging him tightly. The latter instantly hugged him back and blinked away more tears, actually smiling for the first time in _days_.

“Ah ha! I found the address! Move along, kids!” Scrooge announced as he continued leading the group towards a six-story apartment complex. He spotted a balcony on the top floor with three 12-year-old boys staring in awe at the evening sky.

“What in _blazes_ —?” he exclaimed while turning around for a split second. However, his thought was interrupted when the trio suddenly disappeared. “Wait! Where’d they go?”

“They probably went back inside. But seriously, Scrooge? You don’t recognize them?” Huey inquired, genuinely surprised yet disappointed.

“Yeah, they’re the Bordeaux triplets, remember? They invited us to stay with them for a few days last year!” Dewey added pointedly.

“So what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Webby, of course, led the way this time. Her mood significantly improved after eavesdropping on her best friends’ heartfelt conversation. **_Yes_** _! Huey and Dewey_ **_finally_ ** _made up! It’s_ **_about time_** _!_

Della remained silent for the whole journey and once they arrived. She didn’t want to make matters worse by opening her mouth and using her vocal chords. _Like I haven’t done_ **_enough damage_ ** _to this family already!_ The pilot berated herself repeatedly, tears brimming in her eyes as she held them back.

Once Carmello mentioned that he was going to wait for his brothers a few blocks away from the lobby, Della wanted to stay with him, assuming that Louie (as well as her other two sons) didn’t want to see her right now. Scrooge reluctantly agreed as he led the rest of them inside.

* * *

While waiting patiently for Aloiso and Antonio to show up, lying to Amelia about going on ‘another’ short field trip with their college classmates, Carmello decided to cross the road in hopes of letting his brothers know where he was.

As he was walking across, cars started honking, ordering him to get out of the way while insulting him.

“Bouge de là!”

“Es-tu _stupide_ ou quoi?!”

“Va sur le trottoir, idiot!”

Unfortunately, Carmello paid no heed to their warnings as an outraged driver ultimately decided to run him over. _Peu importe s'il est un_ **_enfant_** _! Je_ **_vais_ ** _lui donner une_ **_leçon_** _!_

Though fortunately, someone _was_ paying attention as he caught a glimpse of the person sprinting towards him. 

“SWEETIE, LOOK OUT!!” a female voice screamed in terror as the woman continued running towards him at the speed of light, pushing Carmello out of the way. He lost his balance and fell onto the sidewalk with an _oomph_!

Next thing she knew, Della’s body flew a few feet away from where the car rammed into her. She immediately hit the ground with a _SLAM_ as her bones started to fracture. A pool of red liquid surrounded Della’s frame in seconds. 

Soon, there were horrified screams echoing across the entire area where the ‘accident’ had occurred.

“Quelqu’un s'il vous _plaît_! Appelez une ambulance!” As soon as the Scotsman heard that sentence, he immediately turned around and gasped, equally horrified. _Oh_ **_God_** _!_ **_Please_ ** _no!_ But Carmello’s worst fears had indeed come true. It was Della who saved him.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Bordeaux triplets’ residence, Scrooge and Donald were the first ones to hug Louie, apologizing profoundly for lashing out at him two weeks ago. After planting firm kisses in his nephew's hair, the sailor mildly scolded Louie for running away without telling anyone. In return, the trickster ensured that Carmello was the only person he truly confided in.

“I know, baby. But I wish you told Mrs. Beakley at least,” Donald said while stroking his green-clad nephew’s cheeks with his thumbs. Louie winced, stating that she already found out on her own.

Next, Webby and Mrs. Beakley embraced him, glad that he was safe and sound while the girl also apologized again for her own behavior that day. Besides, her best friend was much more important than her private journal.

“Thanks, Webby. I appreciate it,” Louie replied warmly.

After Launchpad gave him a hug, Huey and Dewey were the only ones left. Approaching him slowly, they wrapped their arms around the schemer and held him close, apologizing for their own mistakes.

Unexpectedly, Huey retracted in order to punch his baby brother’s shoulder repeatedly. “So we’re _roommates_ now, huh? Is _that_ what you think of us??” he said through gritted teeth while Dewey tried and failed to restrain his older brother.

“Okay okay! Ow ow ow! Alright, I take it _all_ back! I didn’t mean any of it, I _swear_! It was just in the heat of the moment and I was too busy doubting myself and you guys, but not anymore! We are _definitely_ brothers again! But seriously, ow! _Stop_ hitting me!” Louie screeched in pain, clutching his throbbing shoulder after the red triplet stopped punching him.

“You _promise_?” Huey growled threateningly, pointing his finger at Louie.

“I promise! _No more_ disowning you guys from now on!” the green triplet swore to God while holding up both hands in surrender, still grimacing.

At least the Junior Woodchuck was satisfied with that statement. “Good.”

Louie instantly reverted back to rubbing his slightly bruised shoulder. “Jesus! When did you get so _strong_?”

Huey smirked. “Junior Woodchuck Exercise Badge,” he bragged while folding his arms.

Dewey and Louie rolled their eyes in exasperation. “Of _course_!”

All of a sudden, the green-clad duckling remembered something. “Hey—where’s Mom? And what about Carmello? I haven’t seen him in a while.”

Yeah....hate to break it to you, Llewellyn—but they’re in boiling hot water right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no! Della's been hit by a car??!! What the f***?! I hope she recovers soon! :(
> 
> Don't worry. She doesn't die. Otherwise, Della wouldn't be there in Season 3.
> 
> Hope you liked this chapter! :)


	13. Those Three Magical Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Della winds up in the hospital, Louie discovers something that will ultimately repair or destroy their mother-son relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha! Told you Della wasn't dead!
> 
> This is the moment you've all been waiting for! Woo hoo! ;)
> 
> But I'm not giving away any spoilers!
> 
> Anyway, enjoy reading this chapter and let me know what you think! :)

**_NOBODY’S P.O.V._ **

******SAME DAY******

“Why? She doesn’t wanna see me?” Louie thought sadly.

“No, it’s not that. You see lad—Della assumed that _you_ didn’t want to see _her_ at the moment. She’ll come up whenever you’re ready, though. But of _course_ she wants to see you—more than anything!” Scrooge promised. Huey and Dewey didn’t say anything, since they were still pissed off with her.

“Ah! Well, what d’you know? She’s callin’ me right now!” The old man pulled out his phone and greeted her. “Lass, we were just talkin’ about ya!”

Suddenly, Scrooge’s eyebrows narrowed in confusion. “Wait—what accident?” A few minutes later, he dropped the phone, frozen in place. Well _that_ caught Huey and Dewey’s attention. 

“Uncle Scrooge?” the latter asked, and that’s when Scrooge revealed what he had just heard. All three ducklings gasped in horror. This couldn’t be real! It was just a ruthless prank—right??

* * *

******FRIDAY, 05/03/2013******

14 hours after the accident, Della fell into a coma after intensive surgery. Scrooge and Donald held onto each other in tears, praying that she’d wake up soon. Carmello was also a blubbering mess, blaming himself for the incident.

“Sh-She saved my life!” he sobbed while his brothers held him tightly, shushing him. Aloiso rubbed Carmello’s back while Antonio caressed his hair and briefly kissed his forehead.

Meanwhile, the Duck triplets were speechless, lumps forming in their throats. Louie’s hands shook violently while holding an important piece of paper in his hands, causing his brothers to wonder what it was.

“Mom wrote a letter—to _me_.” 

The other two gasped. “Wait _what_??”

“Yeah. According to the envelope, this was written a few days after I ran away. I think I’ll open it and see what it says.” With that, Louie processed to unseal the envelope and read the letter out loud.

Once he finished, the trickster began to sob softly, claiming that none of this would’ve happened if he hadn’t run away in the first place.

“God! I-It’s all my fault!” he wept while Huey hugged him close, shushing him quietly.

In addition, she truly did love Louie, explaining why she was hard on him sometimes, even admitting what she had said that day was wrong and unintentional. Della didn’t mean any of those horrible things she blurted out in front of him _and_ behind his back.

But wait! There’s more! Apparently, the pilot also created an entire list dedicated to Louie’s good qualities as well as Della’s bad ones. The green-clad triplet then carefully pulled out a pen and made another column listing his mother’s good qualities that surpassed her bad ones.

* * *

Determined to see her in person, Louie left his brothers standing outside Della’s hospital room while they read over the list repeatedly. Sitting down beside her bed, the boy lamented over the past two weeks and how touched he was, reading her heartfelt letter and list.

“I-I just want us to be okay again!” he blubbered. “Even if it takes us _months_ of therapy to do that, I-I don’t want this family to fall apart like it did 12 years ago!” Burying his head in the blankets, Louie continued weeping loudly until he felt a gentle hand running through his head feathers.

“Huh?” he hiccuped, spotting Della smiling tenderly at him. “M-Mom?”

“Hey baby,” she mouthed, stroking her youngest son’s cheek. Flashing Della a watery smile, Louie grabbed her hand and kissed it softly.

“H-Hi!” he squeaked, failing to stifle more sobs. “Sorry! It’s just—I was _so scared_!”

“I know, sweetie. But you don’t have to apologize for _anything_. I’m the one who should be sorry. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have run away — ” Della objected.

“B-But I — ”

“You didn’t do _anything_ wrong, you understand? I should’ve _never_ said those awful things, even if it was behind your back. I was so angry that I couldn’t _think_ straight. But it was _no_ excuse, and I am _so sorry_ ,” she said with intense emotion.

“And I _don’t_ hate you. I could _never_ hate you because I love you _so much_. You’re my baby. And no matter what, that’ll _never_ change. And don’t ever feel the need to change yourself because you’re perfect. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be _Louie_ ,” Della swore.

“Y-You _love_ me?” Louie stuttered in shock and awe. ‘Cause these were the words he wanted to hear from Della all along, those magical three words that would allow them to finally repair their relationship. _Is this what_ **_true happiness_ ** _feels like?_ He pondered.

Once she nodded, that was the confirmation Llewellyn Duck needed, resulting in soft sobs and giggles. “Th-Thank you! Thank you so much!” he exhaled.

Della, on the other hand, was a bit concerned. Why was he still crying? Did she say something wrong?

“Honey? A-Are you okay?” she inquired worriedly.

“Y-Yeah, I’m _more_ than okay! I’m _so_ happy!” he blurted out tearfully, having never felt so loved and accepted in his life. Louie wanted to cherish this moment forever.

A few seconds later, Della shifted slightly in order to let her son crawl under the covers and nestle his head on the pillow, facing his mother directly.

“C-Can I hug you?” she asked him nervously.

“Oh yeah!” he whispered. Though after a couple of minutes, he mentioned that if anyone had asked, they weren’t cuddling. This caused Della to laugh loudly, followed by Louie.

* * *

She then asked where his brothers were. Ultimately, Huey and Dewey decided to head back to the Bordeaux residence in hopes of avoiding their mother as much as possible. Not surprised that they were still _beyond_ furious with her, Della convinced Louie that she’d let them be until they were ready to see her.

“Sure you don’t want me to butter ‘em up for you? Not to brag or anything, but I _am_ kind of an expert in that particular field. Actually, scratch that. I _am_ bragging,” the green-clad duckling said smoothly.

“No,” she chuckled. “It’s okay. They’ll probably hate me for a while.”

Louie eyed her sadly. “They don’t hate you. Soon they’ll come around—you’ll see,” he promised.

“Well they _should_ hate me. I mean, I’ve already ruined your lives by coming back — ” she lamented.

“You _didn’t_ ruin our lives. Like I said before—I was so happy when you came back, and so were they. You have no idea how many nights Dewey had spent researching you. That too, _behind_ our backs,” Louie countered firmly.

“B-But the Spear — ” Della tried to protest.

“Uncle Scrooge would’ve built that rocket anyway, and you would’ve taken it regardless. Plus, Uncle Donald would’ve left the mansion sooner or later, being independent as he is. Okay, so maybe the circumstances weren’t exactly _ideal_ , but neither is life. No offense—but we’re not _saints_. We’re just people,” he added, leaving no room for argument.

“Aw!” she cooed, softly pinching her son’s cheeks. “When did my son become so wise?”

“Mom!” he cried, feeling a little embarrassed by her recent display of affection. 

But overall, their mother-son bond was officially fixed. Now all they had to do was move forward— _and_ pray that Huey and Dewey would eventually forgive Della. They just needed a little more time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I know I didn't describe what was in the letter or on the list, but it was definitely heartfelt and genuine. :)
> 
> However, this isn't the last chapter, guys! Della still needs closure with Huey and Dewey!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed reading this fic overall! :)


	14. I'm The Bad Guy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Huey and Dewey contemplate on visiting Della at the hospital, the middle triplet reveals something else about the day before Louie ran away. But is that all?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So....d'you think Huey and Dewey will forgive their mom? Or is it more complicated than that? Only one way to find out!
> 
> Enjoy! :)

**_NOBODY’S P.O.V._ **

******SAME DAY******

“Votre mère s'est réveillée de l'hôpital,” Alvarro revealed, checking his texts.

“Really?” Huey inquired curiously. Even though he was still angry with Della, he was glad that she was still alive and recovering.

“Oui! Vous devriez aller la voir.” the oldest Bordeaux triplet suggested. Huey whispered the translation in Dewey’s ear as he gasped in slight disgust.

“No way! Just ‘cause we’re relieved she’s awake, doesn’t mean she deserves our forgiveness,” he retorted, scowling.

“Hate to say it, but Dewey’s got a point. We can’t just forgive her because she’s injured. Maybe if she was _dying_ , we would’ve....” Huey trailed off, processing what he had just said.

“Now obviously, we don’t want her _dead_ —sort of,” Dewey added, considering the possibility. Huey gave him a warning look.

“Dewey!” he scolded him.

“Okay okay, sorry! We don’t want her dead at _all_! Happy?” The middle triplet held his hands up in defense.

Huey sighed concerningly. “Dewey....”

“I-I just....” He sighed as well. “Maybe Louie was right. I mean—we’ve already spent _eleven years_ without her, assuming she was—you know. A-And then a few months ago, she just showed up outta the _blue_ and expected us to bond with her immediately?? I-I....it doesn’t make any sense!” Dewey paused and took a deep breath.

“I think we accepted her too fast. But Louie? His reaction was _solid_. God! I wish I could’ve seen that earlier! H-He was right all along.” And suddenly, Dewey felt horrible for the way he defended Della over his own little brother until recently. He should’ve put _Louie_ first, not his mom! It was Dewey’s job as his big brother to protect him—and he failed.

“All this time, I put our mom first. I _chose_ her over you guys! I didn’t even care to tell you guys the truth about researching her! After the time tub incident a-and when Louie ran away—I kept badmouthing him to her! I-I mean—what does that make me?” 

The blue-clad duckling shook his head morosely and concluded, “So I guess— _I’m_ the bad guy!”

The red triplet blinked in confusion. “W-Wait, hold up. What d’you mean you kept ‘badmouthing’ him to Mom? What are you talking about?”

“I might’ve, you know, _warned_ her about his ‘destructive’ personality traits,” Dewey confessed shamefully. Huey gaped at this revelation. “O-Only because I was annoyed that Louie couldn’t accept her!”

Dewey sighed again, adding, “And also because—I was kinda jealous. She continuously asked me what he was like as a person since Mom wanted to know each of us better, but especially _Louie_ since he was quite withdrawn. You and I on the other hand, were an open book, so it wasn’t a problem for her to figure us out.”

* * *

******3 MONTHS AGO (MONDAY, 01/28/2013)******

Soon after defeating the Gilded Man, Della told Huey and Dewey more exciting stories about her past adventures. As soon as Huey left for another Junior Woodchuck meeting, she asked about Louie. However, the middle triplet claimed that he was busy with his own stuff, and he felt uncomfortable being around her.

“Don’t take it personally, Mom. It’s just a personality thing, you know? Louie isn’t really _open_ with others. But he should be,” the blue triplet explained nonchalantly. **_Why_ ** _isn’t Mom asking more about_ **_me_** _? If anything,_ **_I_ ** _should be her_ **_favorite_** _, not_ **_Louie_** _!_

“You know Louie’s an expert at _scheming_ , right?” he suddenly added, smirking.

Della’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion and concern. “Scheming? As in — ”

“Yep! He _loves_ to manipulate people, so you gotta be _extra_ careful when it comes to handling him.” _I know this is_ **_wrong_** _, but at least she’ll pay more attention to_ **_me_ ** _now._

* * *

******2 MONTHS AGO (THURSDAY, 03/07/2013)******

“D’you think I was too harsh on your brother?” Della asked her sons while enjoying Big Rock Candy Mountain for the first time.

“Of course not, Mom. He needed to be disciplined. Louie can’t just get away with _everything_ , you know. Remember, you’re his mom—not his buddy,” Huey reminded her.

“Huey’s right. Besides, don’t expect him to change anytime soon. Even when he _does_ eventually apologize for his behavior, always expect the _worst_. You never know when he’ll start doing it again,” Dewey added, shrugging.

* * *

******7 WEEKS AGO (FRIDAY, 03/15/2013)******

A few days after Bombie decided not to kill Scrooge and Louie....

“I’m so glad that Scrooge _finally_ got through to him. Honestly, I’ve never been prouder!” Della beamed for her youngest son, who was currently not in the room.

Dewey winced in disbelief. “Yeah. It’s just, well—don’t get your hopes up, Mom. Louie might’ve said that in the moment, but....”

“But what?” Once again, the pilot was confused.

“Just—be careful, okay?” Dewey warned her softly. “I just don’t want him to end up disappointing you, that’s all.”

* * *

******15 DAYS AGO (THURSDAY, 04/18/2013)******

Between grounding Louie again and her little chat with Mrs. Beakley....

“Unbelievable! I swear to God! Louie needs to learn _not_ to scheme 24/7!” Della fumed, pacing back and forth near her own bedroom. _But I should’ve_ **_seen_ ** _this coming! I mean....I’ve_ **_also_ ** _made these mistakes! If Dewey hadn’t **warned** me.... _

“I totally agree with you, Mom,” Dewey’s voice called from behind her.

“God! I-I just need to _vent_ right now! I—I have to tell somebody! You were right, Dewey. A-After everything, the time tub incident, taking over McDuck Enterprises without Uncle Scrooge’s permission, and now this! Jesus! I can’t wrap my head around—!” Della grabbed a fistful of her hair, pressing her lips together.

“Yeah—that’s the thing. I don’t think you can _ever_ trust him again. I mean, Louie’s a manipulator, remember? This is what he _does_ to people. He hurts them without even thinking about the consequences,” he deadpanned.

“I mean—you’ve made mistakes, right? And of _course_ you don’t want him to do the same. So if you can’t accept him right away....I totally understand. In fact, you _should_ hash it all out, no matter how hurtful it is. Just get it out in the open. Shout, scream, cry if you need to. Just go for it!” Dewey advised.

“Y-You really think so? No, I dunno—I don’t wanna end up saying something I’ll regret later — ” his mom answered reluctantly, shaking her head in disagreement.

“So what? Louie needs to _learn_ that he can’t keep going on like this! Face it, Mom! He’ll _never_ accept you as part of this family!” the middle triplet nearly screamed before sighing defeatedly. “Look—just think about it, okay?”

Nodding her head, she said, “I....I know what I have to do.” And with that, she left Dewey standing in order to look for Mrs. Beakley.

* * *

******4 DAYS AGO (MONDAY, 04/29/2013)******

While Huey was busy with the morning cook-out, Dewey accidentally bumped into an active DT-87 robot.

“Hey dude! Have you seen Carmello anywhere?” he happily greeted the bot. Remember, at this point, the middle triplet already knew about the identity reveal.

“No. Shall I ask your mother where he is?” the bot inquired. Dewey frantically shook his head, not wanting Carmello’s cover to be blown. “Alright then.”

“So um....where’s Mom?” the boy asked, desperately trying to change the subject.

“Accessing a video of Della Duck,” DT-87 announced robotically.

“Actually, I wanted to know where she is right _now_ — ”

“Video will proceed in ten seconds,” the robot cut him off.

“O-Okay.”

Once the recording from 11 days earlier was done playing, Dewey’s nostrils were flaring. Why? ‘Cause he was furious! Not just at his mom though—but at himself. **_God_** _! I didn’t think she’d_ **_actually_ ** _take my advice_ **_that seriously_** _! Why the fuck would she_ **_listen to me_** _??!!_

“Stupid stupid stupid!” the blue triplet grumbled while repeatedly hitting his own head. _Wait....what if_ **_Huey_ ** _finds out?! Shit! He’ll_ **_kill me_** _! Unless....I convince him that_ **_Mom’s_ ** _the_ **_only one_ ** _at fault. I mean....it’s not like she_ **_isn’t_** _. Mom_ **_is_ ** _an_ **_adult_ ** _after all! She didn’t_ **_have_ ** _to_ **_say_ ** _those things!_ He reasoned.

“C’mon, Dew! _Think_!” However, after watching the second video (alongside Huey), it was pretty clear what Dewey had to do—get _rid_ of the problem, who turned out to be their mother. At least he _assumed_ that was the only reason.

* * *

******PRESENT (FRIDAY, 05/03/2013)******

“B-But what about when Mom claimed she made those ‘same mistakes’ and _that’s_ why she — ” Huey stammered in shock and disbelief.

“I-I might’ve put that in her head without knowing it....” Dewey responded regretfully. “And I was too pissed off at the time to realize that....”

“Dewey....what did you _do_?” the older Duck triplet breathed shakily.

“Don't worry. I’m sure he had a pretty good reason....right, Dew?” a familiar voice pointed out sarcastically from behind them. But _who_ was it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes! Plot twist! Didn't see that coming, huh? >:-)
> 
> Don't get me wrong. I love Dewey's character. But remember....nobody's a saint. ;)
> 
> Hope you liked this chapter overall and please leave comments! :)


	15. For The Sake of Us And Everyone Else

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dewey finds himself in hot water after being caught mid-revelation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're probably wondering whether Dewey actually deserves forgiveness. Well, the two extremes are absolutely and no way.
> 
> Anyway, all you need to know is not everything is what it seems.... :o
> 
> Enjoy! :)

**_NOBODY’S P.O.V._ **

******SAME DAY******

“L-Louie?” Dewey exhaled fearfully. “H-How much did you — ”

“Oh it’s fine. I heard all of it.” Louie’s voice was dangerously calm, but why? What was he planning? 

Anyway, he entered the Bordeaux residence and kindly asked Alvarro, César, and Fabian to give them some privacy, which they did.

“Venez! Donnons-leur un peu d'intimité,” Alvarro ordered his younger brothers awkwardly as they exited the front door and closed it.

“You know, I kept wondering what Mom had against me,” Louie continued as he slowly approached his immediate older brother.

“But it turns out—she didn’t. Not at first, anyway. And then as _soon_ as you started having those private conversations with her—well, _most_ of them—she suddenly had doubts about me, leading up to that dreadful day. Remember? The day before I left?”

Dewey swallowed hard and took two steps back. “I-I um....I’m — ” 

Louie put a finger on his brother’s lips. “Sh sh sh sh. It’s okay. Let me finish, and then you can tell me if it’s true—alright?” he told him in a fake _it’s-alright_ voice.

“It’s funny. Initially, I came here because I hoped you two would eventually forgive Mom. But then I found out about this shit.” The youngest gestured to Dewey, who instantly blinked back tears.

“After all these years....I think I _finally_ understand you. I get _why_ you did this. ‘Cause as always, you wanted to be the center of attention. But wait! There’s more!” Louie inhaled and exhaled twice before continuing.

“All that research you did on Mom’s whereabouts—it’s ‘cause you wanted a special connection with her, right? Since according to you, Huey and Uncle Donald already had that, including me and Uncle Scrooge. But you? All you had was _Mom_ ,” the green triplet elaborated.

“You were obviously jealous. I get that, like with Tenderfeet.” Yeah, Louie was partially lying about that. Frankly, the boy was afraid that Tenderfeet would’ve murdered his family if he didn’t comply with his needs.

“Being incredibly _desperate_ for attention. _But_ you were also annoyed that I wasn’t as accepting as you two were when Mom came back. So you figured—why not? Form a special bond with her, but in order to do so, jeopardize _mine_. Otherwise, there would’ve been massive competition.” 

Dewey’s eyes fluttered as a lone tear fell from his eyes and plopped on the floor. Huey shook his head with a perplexed expression and averted his gaze, unable to process anything at the moment. Louie, however, was determined to finish his confrontation.

“Viewing me as the main source of the problem that kept Mom from feeling like she was part of this family....I mean, wow! You _really_ outdid yourself, Dew! Congrats!” the green-clad duckling fake-applauded, clapping in earnest.

“And because you assumed all that, your actions were pretty much _justified_ —right? Oh c’mon, Dew! Why so quiet all of a sudden? You usually _love_ to talk nonstop! So what’s wrong?” Louie concluded with fake concern.

Turning to his oldest brother, he added, “Hey Hue? Why don’t you uh—go downstairs and explore the city for a bit? Besides, you’ll have time to catch up with the Bordeauxs. I’ll handle it from here, don’t worry.” Flashing Huey a genuine smile, the eldest reluctantly left the apartment and walked down the spiral staircase.

Reverting to his previous demeanor, Louie went on with his rant. “You’re right about one thing, though. Mom did say some pretty awful stuff to me, especially behind my back. But it got me thinking that maybe—she wouldn’t have if _you_ hadn’t encouraged her in the first place. Is that right? Or am I just spitting out a whole bunch of crap?”

Dewey didn’t dare to answer, ‘cause the boy already knew he was in sizzling hot water.

“Well—since you’re not answering, I’m guessing it’s the former. Tsk tsk tsk. Man! I was _really_ hoping it was the latter, but....” Louie exclaimed in fake astonishment before shrugging his shoulders. “You can’t have it both ways.”

The green triplet placed his hand on Dewey’s shoulder. “Makes sense, though. You and Mom are practically the same person, so she’s easily susceptible to your point of view, despite being sharper than I am. Huh—says a _lot_. And I hate to break it to you, but uh—Mom and I made up. In fact, we're in a better place than we've ever been, so your plan didn’t work after all.”

Sighing deeply, the youngest stood up. “Anyway, I think that’s all for now—‘cause I’m _exhausted_. Let’s eat!” Louie suddenly grabbed a frying pan from the kitchen and quickly cracked an egg.

“Hey, d’you know how to make an omelet? ‘Cause César had this _awesome_ recipe he made last week....” The youngest abruptly changed the subject, hoping it would make Dewey uncomfortable—and it _did_. So much that the middle triplet gulped loudly and fell into another bout of nostalgia.

* * *

******FLASHBACK (MONDAY, 04/29/2013)******

Four days earlier, Dewey had just finished yelling at Della before running out of his room and into another bedroom, locking the door behind him. He then flopped on the bed and began sobbing heavily, tears soaking the blankets and pillows.

 _I’m such an_ **_idiot_** _!_ **_Why_ ** _did I_ **_say that_** _?? Why did I blame_ **_Mom_ ** _for everything when it was obviously_ **_my fault_ ** _she said that in the_ **_first place_** _?!_

“You appear to be very upset. Shall I get you a glass of warm water to calm you down?” the bot asked.

“Go away! Just—leave me alone, please!” Dewey wept.

“But you are in desperate need for comfort. Should I alert your brother?” DT-87 suggested.

“ _No_! I don’t want comfort! Like I _deserve_ it anyway....” the boy lamented. _I don’t deserve_ **_anybody_** _! Maybe it’s better if I just—_ ** _give up_ ** _and run away too like_ **_Louie_ ** _did._

Once DT-87 had left the room, Dewey murmured, “I’m sorry, Louie! I’m _so sorry_! It’s all my fault....!”

* * *

******PRESENT (FRIDAY, 05/03/2013)******

“....and then we saw the—Dewey?” Louie was recalling more places he’d seen in the downtown area. However, Dewey wasn’t paying attention due to his incessant weeping, muffling the sobs with his fist.

Breathing deeply in satisfaction over how guilty and terrible his blue-clad brother was feeling, Louie couldn’t help but pity him too. On the other hand, the youngest didn’t want his family to fall apart yet _again_ because of this new revelation. So he sighed and came up with a solution.

“I think it’s _obvious_ how horrible you’re feeling right now—so I’ll give you a chance to redeem yourself,” the trickster suggested, causing Dewey to look up. The tears abruptly stopped, yet his eyes remained puffy and red.

“L-Louie, I’m so — ”

“Ah bup! Save it! I don’t wanna hear your apology right now,” the younger triplet cut him off sharply, holding his palm forward. “Here’s what‘s gonna happen.”

Dewey listened attentively to Louie’s instructions. “If you _truly_ care about our brotherhood, and you wanna maintain it, then you know what you have to do. I’m not gonna tell you what it is exactly, ‘cause otherwise, it _won’t_ be sincere at all. You’re smart enough, so you’ll figure it out.”

Nodding without question, the blue triplet sniffled and waited until his little brother was done talking.

“And also....your constant need for seeking attention has clearly gotten outta hand, so I’m recommending my therapist. You remember her, right? Anyway, I see her for the _same_ reason you’re gonna see her—and you already know what it is. I don’t have to tell you,” Louie added sternly.

“Why am I saying this? ‘Cause I don’t wanna end up like our uncles did twelve years ago, or when we found out the truth about Mom’s disappearance and cut off ties with Uncle Scrooge. This family can’t fall apart again— _ever_. So I’m doing this for the sake of us and everyone else.” 

That’s when Dewey’s tears started again, but he still listened.

“I don’t wanna see you as the _bad_ guy, as someone who did everything simply ‘cause he was malicious—you’re _not_. And since you’re _family_ , I’m not gonna shut you out or permanently disown you, regardless of whether or not you actually deserve it. Instead, you’re gonna get some professional help, like I’ve said. Everyone else in our family’s doin’ it, so you will too.”

Once Louie had finished, Dewey thought a lot about how he’d respond. Despite everything, his baby brother wanted to give him another chance, to be willing to forgive him for his mistakes. Jesus—what did the middle triplet do to deserve his little brother? Uttering Louie’s name, the latter retaliated. 

“Dude, I _told_ you not to apologize — ”

“I love you,” Dewey declared with absolute certainty.

Louie was taken aback. “W-What? Okay—now you’re just sayin’ it ‘cause I’m willing to give you another _chance_ — ”

“No—I mean it. You’re my baby brother. And everything Mom said about you on her list was _true_ ,” the older triplet emphasized, his tone genuine.

Now it was Louie’s turn to tear up. “Yeah well—your egg’s getting cold. So uh—if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna take a shower.” _And definitely_ **_not_ ** _burst into tears._ The youngest noted before locking himself in the bathroom.

In the meantime, Dewey began laughing and crying at the same time—totally baffled by today’s unexpected turn of events. Oh well—at least it turned out much better than he thought it would, and Dewey _wasn’t_ going to waste this opportunity to make things right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well....I have no words. Louie definitely deserves a medal for his character growth.
> 
> And hopefully, Dewey will do the right thing and redeem himself.
> 
> Overall, I hope you liked this chapter and thanks for reading my latest fic! :)
> 
> Also, watch out for more updates. :)


	16. Hey Mom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Huey and Dewey finally visit Della in the hospital, but will they forgive her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will Della be forgiven? Or will Huey and Dewey still hold a grudge? Let's see!
> 
> Anyway, enjoy this chapter! :)

**_NOBODY’S P.O.V._ **

******SATURDAY, 05/04/2013******

Starting today, Della was forced to use a mobile bed to move around due to the extent of her injuries.

“Man, this sucks!” she complained, blowing raspberries.

“Oh come on, lass! It’s only a few more days until you have to use a wheelchair!” Scrooge replied optimistically. 

Della simply rolled her eyes in protest. “What, _seriously_? Urgh!”

“Well maybe next time, don’t get hit by a car!” Donald scolded his sister.

“Oh like you’d know!” she shot back.

“Will you two quit squabbling for _one_ second?!” the old man quacked, causing the Duck twins to shut up and mouth _sorry_.

“Hey guys,” Huey greeted them sleepily. The three adults gaped. _Wait—Huey’s here to_ **_see Della_** _? So does that mean....?_

“Huey! I-I didn’t realize you were coming! Your Uncle Donald and I were just—you know....” Scrooge struggled to find the right words. Why was he so nervous, though? _It’s_ **_Huey_** _!_

“I know. I-Is it okay if I talk to Mom in private for a bit?” the boy requested from his uncles.

“Sure. We’ll be right outside if you need us,” Donald assured him while ruffling Huey’s head feathers. The latter smiled softly as his uncles quickly shut the door behind them.

“Hey Mom,” the red triplet nearly whispered.

“Hey sweetie,” Della replied sweetly. That’s when they both started to apologize for what had been said earlier this week. 

As the two continued to talk, Huey understood that even though what she said to Louie was still wrong and unnecessary, his mother wasn’t completely at fault, revealing that he knew about Dewey’s encouragement.

“Honey, it doesn’t change the fact that I shouldn’t have said those horrible things about Louie in the first place. Even though I was ‘given the green light’ to do it, I’m an _adult_ and I should’ve known better — ” the pilot argued, but her oldest son cut her off frustratedly.

“I know that, Mom! It’s just—urgh! Dewey shouldn’t have used you like that! What he did was _also_ not okay!” He exhaled helplessly. 

“Look—I know that you and Dewey have this special connection ‘cause let’s face it—you two have more in common than the rest of us. And you wanna believe that he wasn’t at fault because you thought remembering your past mistakes is what _drove_ you to lash out at Louie in the first place.” Huey paused, losing his train of thought for a second before continuing.

“But the truth is—your son _triggered_ those memories. Maybe Dewey wasn’t completely aware of it, but he still did it—and that wasn’t okay. You have to face the facts that he _used_ you, Mom. Now, I’m not saying that you’re blameless or anything, but the reason why this all happened is because he caused you to have doubts about Louie,” he unraveled.

“I’m not saying this ‘cause I wanna ruin your relationship with Dewey, but because it’s for your _own good_ —and his too. And hopefully, he’ll be more honest about it from now on and own up to his mistakes. And I admit that neither of us have been completely open with you when you returned home from the Moon. Dewey was right about one thing though—we accepted you _way_ too fast,” Huey admitted.

“But now—I can _truly_ accept you as a part of this family. And Dewey will forgive you too. I mean, he practically _has_ to, since he’s partially at fault,” the 12-year-old concluded, panting in exhaustion due to talking so much.

“Y-You forgive me?” Della stammered.

“Yes. I forgive you. And I’m so glad you’re home, Mom. I _really_ am.” Those words caused her to cry in earnest, broken sobs escaping from her mouth. 

Huey’s brows furrowed in sympathy and sadness. “Mom—don’t cry.” He reached out to comfort her, but Della recoiled. Her face scrunched up even more as she shook her head in disagreement.

“No, I-I screwed up this family so bad! I-I’m _really sorry_!” she hiccuped.

“Hey....” the red triplet spoke tenderly as he climbed onto the bed and gently touched his mother’s head. “You didn’t. Our family was _already_ screwed up long before you came back.”

“Dewey was right, though. I-I should’ve just _stayed_ on the Moon instead of — ”

“No—I shouldn’t have said any of that. I didn’t mean it, I swear. If anything, _I’m_ the one who should be sorry.” Whoa whoa whoa, _wait_!

“ _Dewey_?? How long have you been standing there?” Huey exclaimed with a baffled expression.

“Uh—since you came in?” Dewey replied hesitantly before approaching them carefully, explaining how wrong he was to manipulate Della like that by using emotional blackmail. Soon, the blue triplet elaborated further by revealing how jealous he was of his mom seemingly favoring Louie over him. 

“I-I just wanted to feel special, since I always assumed we had a unique connection, sharing similar personality traits and all that. Perks of being the middle child, I guess. But it’s _not_ an excuse for what I did. Eventually, I got carried away and almost forgot _why_ I did this in the first place, but I always felt this strong need to _defend_ you....” 

And Dewey went on with his apology/explanation until he ran out of things to say. “....and so basically, _both_ of us are at fault. I shouldn’t have encouraged you, but you shouldn’t have listened to me either. You took my advice pretty seriously, and that wasn’t okay. So in all, Louie was right. We _definitely_ need professional help.”

“But I just want you to know that I’m _not_ mad anymore—and I forgive you for inadvertently abandoning us, including what you said to Louie, since I was _also_ responsible for it,” Dewey confessed with a sad smile.

Della smiled again, despite the tears streaming down her face as she whispered a quick _thank you_ before embracing her older two sons.

“What did I do to deserve you boys?” she breathed.

“We love you, Mom.” Huey’s voice wobbled.

“I love you guys too,” Della responded tearfully. However, her demeanor became stern once she gazed at her middle son again. “But don’t think I’m not disappointed in you right now, Dewford. You _are_ gonna tell your uncles about this, ‘cause don’t think you’re off the hook for anything.”

Sighing defeatedly while rubbing his forehead, Dewey responded, “Yeah, I know. They’re gonna kill me.”

Little did they know, however, that the youngest triplet had eavesdropped on their entire conversation, satisfied that his immediate older brother was on the right track.

* * *

******SUNDAY, 05/05/2013******

“Looks like we’re going back home, lads,” Scrooge told everyone, holding a large red suitcase in his left hand.

“Wait _now_? But what about Mom?” Louie pointed out concerningly.

“ _Relax_ , Louie. The nurses will transfer your mother onto a mobile bed and then we’ll enter the plane,” the old man assured him with a quick smile.

“B-But what if — ”

“Don’t you worry. _Nothing_ is going to happen as long as your uncles are here, alright?” Scrooge tried to reassure him again. Louie simply gulped and nodded.

“Good, now let’s go before the sun rises.” The old man started heading towards the taxi.

“Wait!” Louie suddenly shouted. “Shouldn’t we say bye first?"

Scrooge frowned in confusion, hands on his hips. “To who?”

“To the Bordeauxs! I mean, the amount of hospitality I received lately — ”

“Alright alright! We’ll say bye and _then_ leave, capiche?” Scrooge sighed as he let the taxi driver know that they’d catch another ride instead.

“Allez vous faire foutre, Scrooge McDuck!” the driver cursed, raising his middle finger. “Vous avez perdu mon temps!”

“Oi! Quit your yappin’, you bumbling idiot! We’ll find another ride! Christ....!” the billionaire snapped back, rolling his eyes.

“Oh boy!” the green triplet mumbled.

“No wonder Uncle Scrooge prefers Launchpad....” Dewey added thoughtfully.

Huey shrugged. “Eh. What can you do?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well....only a couple of chapters left!
> 
> Hope you liked my fic so far! :)
> 
> And please read the previous chapters for more context.
> 
> Once again, thank you so much for reading. :)


	17. That Sounds More Than Fair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louie shares a heartfelt goodbye with the Bordeaux triplets. Later on, Dewey confesses to his uncles how he was also responsible for his little brother running away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry. The Featherwings will have a larger role in these last couple of chapters (not this one though), so look out for that.
> 
> In the meantime, enjoy! :)

**_NOBODY’S P.O.V._ **

******SAME DAY******

“Eh bien....jusqu'à la prochaine fois, mes amis,” César said while the three Bordeauxs hugged the Duck triplets.

“Yeah. We’ll see each other again,” Huey promised them and himself.

“Totally!” Louie added, swallowing the lump in his throat. **_Seriously_** _?! Do_ **_not_ ** _get emotional!_

“Take care of yourselves,” Fabian chimed in with his soft-spoken demeanor.

“We will. And you guys should definitely visit Duckburg sometime,” Huey suggested.

“Of course! We’ll add that to our list,” Alvarro replied. 

While Huey and Dewey waved goodbye and walked towards the Cloudslayer, Louie decided to remain behind for another couple of minutes.

“I um....I-I can’t thank you guys enough for everything you did for me. After spending the first night away from home inside a smelly motel room, and then two more nights in a Parisian hotel—which was fortunately cheap—you guys took me in a-and taught me—urgh! How can I say this without sounding _super_ cheesy??”

Taking a deep breath, Louie added, “Anyway, I-I managed to learn how to say a _few_ phrases in French, so please don’t make fun of me—at least not right away. Okay....” 

Clearing his throat, the green triplet unfolded the crumpled piece of paper in his hand and read his surprisingly legible handwriting out loud. “Je vous aime tous parce que vous êtes génial et drôle et vous m'avez fait me sentir moins seul. Même si je ne comprenais pas un seul mot de français à mon arrivée, j'ai réussi à apprendre quelques phrases dans l'ensemble. Alors merci.”

While the Bordeauxs were at a loss for words, Louie admitted, “Okay—so my pronunciations were pretty bad, I admit that. But I practiced these sentences in front of a mirror like a _thousand_ times these past few days and _sort of_ used a translation app for the more complicated words. And—oh! You guys are coming over and—wow! You’re hugging me? And _why_ is Fabian smiling? W-What’s going on?”

Apparently, they were all touched by Louie’s sentiment that Alvarro and César had decided to embrace him from each side and plant a firm kiss on each cheek, embarrassing him. Then again, that _was_ their ultimate goal. ;)

“Bravo!” César cheered while Fabian grabbed his own Waddle phone and turned on the camera.

“You did it!” Alvarro added before turning to his youngest brother. “Fabian, prends une photo!” he ordered delightfully.

“Oui! Juste une seconde! Et....souriez!”

“Smile!” César whispered in Louie’s ear. The two older triplets draped their arms around his shoulders before Fabian pressed the button. CLICK!

Before the trickster waved goodbye and walked away....“Don’t forget to FaceTime!”

“Nous allons! Au revoir!” the Bordeaux triplets chorused, waving back.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the Sunchaser, Della instructed Dewey to grab his uncles’ attention, plus everyone else’s in order to teach him the art of humiliation. And yes, that included Huey, Louie, Mrs. Beakley, Webby, Launchpad, _and_ the Featherwing triplets.

The blue triplet gaped. “Wait _now_?”

“Yes _now_ ,” she answered strictly, sitting upright on her mobile hospital bed. Della swore she’d put her foot down in a more reasonable fashion from now on, which she did.

After half-an-hour of apologies and explanations, Scrooge and Donald flashed him incensed looks and simultaneously placed both hands on their hips.

“Lad, what you did is unacceptable, and there _will_ be consequences,” the old man reprimanded him in a low voice. 

Donald, on the other hand, was _outraged_. Steam visibly escaped from his nose as he struggled not to lose his temper completely. Storming towards his middle nephew, the sailor yanked Dewey’s phone away from his pocket and threatened to smash it if he ever pulled off something like this again.

“I’m keeping your phone indefinitely! You have to learn that _nothing good_ comes out of badmouthing your family members in order to jeopardize relationships between other people, _regardless_ of what your reasoning is—DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!” he boomed.

Dewey swallowed audibly and nodded in fear. “Y-Yes, Uncle Donald,” he squeaked.

“Good. Now sit over there on that bench while Uncle Scrooge and I speak to your mother in private,” the sailor commanded. 

Meanwhile, Huey and Louie snickered amongst themselves while the Featherwing triplets, Beakley, Launchpad, and Webby awkwardly stood there before disbanding—Launchpad taking the wheel with Bentina as his co-pilot.

* * *

“Lass—I understand you’re still new at this whole parenting thing, but you _need_ to be more careful when it comes to communicating with your children. Because they’re at an age where they’re highly sensitive and their self-esteem can be shattered by a few simple words,” Scrooge lectured her softly.

“At least you and Louie had a breakthrough and made up. But in the future, don’t let the McDuck temper control you whenever you discipline him. Strive to be more rational. Trust me, I know it’s hard, but you can do it,” Donald added encouragingly, having finally calmed down from his earlier anger.

“But I fucked up! I hurt him so badly that he ran away! You guys should hate me!” Della lamented, gripping her injured shoulder.

“Della—we could never _truly_ hate you. And the truth is, Louie already told us what happened two nights ago while you were sleeping. You should’ve seen our faces! They were redder than tomatoes, especially Donald’s!” Scrooge chuckled lightly.

“It’s true. I vowed to literally send you back to the Moon without enough fuel to return home!” Donald nearly laughed in earnest, which made his sister gape.

The billionaire added reassuringly, “But don’t worry. Once the lad explained everything to us and promised you two were _one hundred percent_ on good terms again, we managed to calm down.”

“Y-You sure?” Della asked, still afraid that she’d receive the short end of the stick. Both her brother and uncle nodded at the same time. “Oh! Thank you! And I am _so sorry_!” she gasped in relief.

“We love you, lass. And besides, the kids want you to stay more than _anything_ ,” the old man told her while smiling.

“Oh you guys! I love you too!” she exclaimed in reply as Scrooge planted a warm kiss on her forehead before she eventually fell asleep.

* * *

20 minutes later, the billionaire sat down beside Dewey and confronted him about why he was willing to jeopardize Della’s relationship with Louie. In return, the middle triplet admitted that he strove to be her favorite triplet. But eventually, it turned into anger towards Louie for not truly accepting her as part of the family.

“At first, I-I wanted to hurt him, thinking my actions were justified and that I was ‘helping’ my family stick together. B-But later, I—I didn’t mean to. I just got carried away, I _swear_. I was so keen on defending Mom, b-but I didn’t know Louie would run away from home a-and—” 

Dewey cut himself off so that he wouldn’t burst into tears again. The kid had already embarrassed himself in front of Louie two days ago, but now he had to remain strong and not cause Scrooge to pity him.

“You felt guilty, so _that’s_ why your anger towards Della was much more than Huey’s,” the old man realized, to which the 12-year-old nodded solemnly.

“Well—thank you for telling me the truth. However, you _are_ still grounded indefinitely, which means _no more_ adventures or visiting friends outside the mansion until your mother, Donald, or I say otherwise,” Scrooge reminded him firmly.

For the first time in his life, Dewey accepted his punishment like a man and replied confidently, “That sounds _more_ than fair.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like Dewey got exactly what he deserved! Now it's only a matter of time before he truly makes amends with Louie.... :o
> 
> Also, Della should make a full recovery right before *Challenge of The Senior Junior Woodchucks! (S3E1)*. 
> 
> Then again, there is slight canon divergence (in terms of the Season 2 flashbacks, because I'm not sure if Dewey really badmouthed Louie to his mom in the canon timeline....most likely not).
> 
> Overall, hope you liked this fic so far and please leave comments! :)


	18. There Is Nothing Wrong With You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dewey finally realizes the true impact of his actions while talking to Louie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy! We're already at Chapter 18! But there are a couple of chapters left, so keep track of the updates.
> 
> Happy reading! :)

**_NOBODY’S P.O.V._ **

******MONDAY, 05/06/2013******

After they arrived home the previous day, Louie avoided Dewey like the plague despite the latter owning up to his mistakes and receiving his punishment. Truth was, the former still presumed his immediate older brother hated him for some reason. _I know I promised_ **_not_ ** _to shut him out,_ **_but_** _...._

What made the blue triplet go as far as turning their mother against his baby brother? Why was Dewey so angry at Louie for not ‘warming up’ to Della like the rest of them were? It had to be beyond just craving to be the center of attention and being overly defensive of Della. Perhaps there was something fundamentally wrong with himself, Louie supposed.

 _But Dewey said he_ **_loved me_** _! Did he_ **_really mean that_** _? Or did he just_ **_blurt it out_ ** _in the_ **_moment_ ** _because I was going_ **_easier_ ** _on him than_ **_expected_** _? Yeah—it’s probably the_ **_latter_** _._

* * *

******TUESDAY, 05/07/2013******

The next day, Louie had the exact same thought—except this feeling was much stronger than yesterday. In addition, the trickster wondered if Dewey despised him for not being allowed to do the one thing he loves—adventuring. 

But worst of all—Louie felt hated, unwanted, unloved in _general_ by his own big brother and it hurt. God! It hurt so much! He should’ve realized this before! So why didn’t he? Louie was the one who was supposed to see all the angles, so how come he _didn’t_ see this coming? _Why_ didn’t he predict this?

Did it really _matter_ if his middle brother said he loved him? Or maybe the tragic part of this situation was that Dewey’s love was purely _conditional_ , because Louie literally gave him a chance to redeem himself. It was all too much as he started blinking away tears from his eyes.

“Hey Lou. I didn’t realize you were in here,” Dewey said softly while adjusting his shirt collar. As they conversed, Louie blurted out that he didn’t have to do this just because their guardians told him to.

Confused, the middle triplet shook his head and insisted that nobody forced him to do anything. Dewey made his own decision to hang out with Louie because he cared. So much that he almost told his little brother that he loved him for the second time —

“Nope! I’m _not_ falling for that bullshit. Not this time,” the green-clad duckling told him bluntly, folding his arms in disbelief.

“Louie—I know you said you didn’t want me to apologize that day, b-but I _really am_ sorry — ” Louie scoffed humorlessly at that statement.

“No no no no no no! Nuh uh! I don’t want to hear your fucking apology! Wanna know why? Because you _ruined_ my fucking life! Alright?! You nearly _destroyed_ my relationship with Mom, and for what?? To feel _special_?! To feel _wanted_?? What is it??!! And then for some other twisted reason, you thought _I_ had something fundamentally against her!! I-I mean....!” 

Pausing mid-outburst, the youngest scoffed again while smiling weakly, but it was even more humorless and shocking.

“It’s not _my_ fault I didn’t know how to react, alright?! I-I was scared and confused and angry that sh-she just appeared out of _nowhere_ a-and....! What was I supposed to do, huh?? Instantly jump into her arms and accept her?! For abandoning us?! For making me afraid of adventures or Mom not liking my personality?! Thank God we made up, but still! I-I don’t....!”

Inhaling and exhaling, Louie resumed lashing out. “Actually, you know what? I told you I’d give you another chance, but I take it all back! The feeling’s mutual now! I _hate_ you!” 

With that, the schemer repeatedly hit Dewey’s shoulder and chest while reciting those three words over and over again. “I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! God! I wanna hate you for the rest of my fucking life!!”

And then Llewellyn suddenly burst into tears, covering his mouth to prevent the sobs and hiccups from escaping but to no avail. They kept coming and ceased to stop.

“I-I don’t understand! Why d’you _hate_ me so much? W-What did I _do_? W-Why would you do that?” As heartbreaking as this was, Louie’s final words cut deep. “Why don’t you love me?” he whispered tearfully, staring at his immediate big brother, eyes incredibly red and puffy.

Dewey froze, unable to respond to any of this. His little brother’s rant made him feel even worse. Was Louie hurting _this much_ and he hadn’t noticed? The way the green-clad triplet spoke, it was obvious. And that’s when the blue triplet realized he had a _lot more_ to fix than simply redeeming himself. 

Dewey needed to show Louie that he was loved and wanted and that he never hated him, because the middle triplet could _never_ hate him, no matter how hard he tried sometimes. He needed to tell Louie that it was okay to express his anger and sadness, that he was allowed to hash out his feelings....that it _wasn’t_ his fault.

Maybe all Louie needed was to cry and let it all out. Cry out all the sadness, betrayal, anger, and grief he’d been bottling up for these past couple of weeks, starting the day before he ran away.

It hit him all of a sudden—not only did the youngest yearn for his mother’s approval and unconditional love, but he needed that from his older brother as well. _Both_ of them, in fact. 

He needed Huey _and_ Dewey’s genuine acceptance—because unlike Della, Louie had known Huey and Dewey his _whole life_. They were a part of him that would _never_ fade away, and they were the _only_ two people who truly understood him. So if that was taken away from him....Louie’s world would fall apart completely and cease to repair.

It was then Dewey knew precisely what he had to do. In reality, only 45 seconds had passed until the adventurer’s arms circled around his sole little brother. Louie attempted to pull away, but Dewey brought him closer until the former’s head was resting on his shoulder, now sobbing uncontrollably.

While rubbing his back soothingly, the middle triplet discovered that no words would be able to fix this. Only hugs and reassurances would. To Louie, words were meaningless unless the actions behind them were solid, which Dewey finally understood. And so the lad continued consoling his baby brother for another 20 minutes, now stroking his hair.

Pulling back a little, the blue triplet used his sleeves to wipe away Louie’s tears even though they refused to stop flowing. Dewey then moved his hands to caress his little brother’s face, fingers becoming wet with saltwater.

Kissing Louie’s forehead gently, he muttered _I love you_ and _I’m so sorry_ a couple of times.

“W-Wait, but you — ” the youngest stuttered.

“I _don’t_ hate you,” Dewey told him with lots of emotion. “I could _never_ hate you because you’re my baby brother, even if it takes me a _trillion_ times to prove that. I _never_ meant to hurt you so badly, and I can’t apologize enough for what I did to you.”

Gripping both his shoulders, the blue triplet added, “When Mom came back and you didn’t see eye-to-eye with her—it _wasn’t_ your fault. You were just scared, confused, and angry—and that’s okay. I didn’t see it before—but now I get it.”

“But you said that I was so annoying because I couldn’t understand — ” Louie pointed out.

Dewey winced a little and pressed his lips together. “All brothers are annoying. Huey’s said it, I’ve said it, you’ve said it, we’ve _all_ said it. But I want you to know that there is _nothing_ wrong with you.” 

And he meant it. There was nothing wrong with Louie’s personality or emotions whatsoever, that Dewey loved who his little brother was. In addition, the older boy claimed his own actions were a result of him being messed up in general, though it was _inexcusable_.

“If anyone needs fixing, it’s—” That word remained unsaid. “ _I’m_ the one who’s screwed up. _I’m_ the one who needs fixing.”

This time, it was Dewey’s turn to tear up, having put on a brave façade for so long. “And I’ll fix it, I promise,” he choked out.

“You were scared too—and angry and confused. Sure, you got carried away but....you didn’t feel loved or wanted by any of us, so—we’ll try harder to let you know that,” Louie replied shakily.

Dewey smiled despondently and quickly shook his head, huffing softly. “I don’t deserve it now.”

“It’s not a matter of whether you deserve it or not. It just happens, and it’s not your decision to make. And let’s not forget the amount of shitty stuff _I’ve_ said about you behind your back,” the youngest confessed. I’m sorry, back up! Wait _what_?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the title is making more sense now, right? There's a reason why I named it "We're Not Saints"! ;)
> 
> Anyway, once again I apologize for not including the Featherwings in this chapter because remember that this fic is Louie-centric, not Carmello-centric.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed my story so far! :)


	19. Hello? Earth To Louie!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the two sets of triplets and Webby recall their most recent adventures, Louie suddenly remembers a few times when he badmouthed Dewey behind his back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this chapter is a little rushed, but hopefully good. 
> 
> Also, please read the previous chapters for more context. :)
> 
> Other than that, enjoy this one and feel free to leave comments below! :)

**_NOBODY’S P.O.V._ **

******SAME DAY******

“Sorry, what?” Dewey asked, eyebrows raised in puzzlement.

Louie gaped before laughing anxiously, wiping away the remaining tears. “Oh! Uh—nevermind! You know what? Let’s go to the dining room and I’ll uh—tell you guys some awesome stories while Carmello does the same! Cool? Great! You comin’?” 

The middle brother shrugged and nodded as the green-clad duckling grabbed his brother’s hand, dragging him towards the dining room where the Featherwing triplets were chatting excessively with Huey and Webby.

“Hey guys!” the eldest Duck triplet greeted them before studying his green-clad brother’s face. “Louie, a-are you okay? Why are your eyes so red?”

“Oh! I-It’s nothing! Dewey and I were just um—let’s just say we had a breakthrough and — ”

“Wait—you guys had a _breakthrough_? Just now?” Webby exclaimed in bafflement.

“Yep!” Dewey answered brightly before giving Louie a quick noogie.

The girl pouted, folding her arms. “Man! I always miss the good stuff!”

“Actually, Webs—it didn’t really start off that way....” the blue-clad triplet began reluctantly, earning an elbow in the ribs from his little brother.

“The point is, we’re on good terms now, and everything’ll be a-okay!” Louie cheered, grinning nervously. Of course, that didn’t stop him from remembering all the times _he_ had taunted Dewey behind his back.

* * *

******13 MONTHS AGO (THURSDAY, 04/05/2012)******

It was 24 hours before the Shadow War and Magica De Spell’s ultimate defeat. Grumbling while pacing back and forth in the houseboat, Huey asked Louie why he was upset.

“I’m pissed off ‘cause Dewey’s so _stupid_! That’s why!” he snapped.

Sighing helplessly, Huey said, “What happened?”

“He kept secrets from us about _Mom_! I know he claimed that he was trying to protect us from something potentially bad, but—God! I _really_ hate him! I know I said I’ve forgiven him, but I lied! It’s _all_ his fault!” the trickster fumed.

Huey grimaced. “But didn’t Uncle Scrooge _also_ pretty much do the same thing?”

“Yeah, but the guy’s an old miser! _Dewey_ on the other hand, has never kept a secret like this from us before! I dunno what’s happening, dude! Sometimes, I feel like he’d rather be an only child! Jesus, no wonder he organized Only Child Day. What a stupid piece of shit! That’s who Dewey _is_ , by the way. He has the worst personality in the _history_ of the Universe!”

“Louie, c’mon. You _know_ that’s not true — ” the eldest argued, but to no avail. Once again, his baby brother cut him off.

“Oh it _is_ true, Hubert! And you know it! So he can go fuck himself for all I care! Once we leave the marina tomorrow night, I’m cuttin’ off ties with him— _permanently_! Till then, I’ll have to keep up this ridiculous ‘everything’s-not-so-shitty’ act!” he spat.

 _Louie will calm down.... **eventually**._ Huey thought hopefully.

* * *

******9 MONTHS AGO (SUNDAY, 08/05/2012)******

“So Louie? Did you enjoy Game Night?” Scrooge asked his youngest nephew.

Louie hesitated for a second. “Yeah—I guess. I-I kinda got a little distracted. You know, ‘cause of the — ”

“I know, lad. But overall, did you enjoy the night off? That’s what I’m asking,” the billionaire elaborated.

“Actually—yeah, I did. It was nice not having to embark on a thrill-seeking adventure for once,” the boy admitted contentedly.

“Hmm. So you and Huey make quite the team, eh?” Scrooge gestured to where his red-clad nephew was standing.

“Oh yeah. With his book smarts and my street smarts, we’re pretty awesome,” Louie agreed while fiddling with his phone in the meantime.

“Now all you need is Dewey’s adventurous smarts and you three will become unstoppable!” Scrooge exclaimed confidently.

“Uh—I dunno, Uncle Scrooge. Dewey’s not exactly well-known for his _intelligence_. I mean, don’t get me wrong. He’s _definitely_ a thrill-seeker, but not a smart one. Look at him and Webby tonight. They barely made a good team! Webby of course knew everything, and Dewey knew _nothing_ ,” the green triplet pointed out knowingly.

“Oi! That’s no way to talk about your brother! And besides, he’s still learning’ how to be a more experienced adventurer,” the old man retaliated.

“But will he _ever_ be experienced? I’m just sayin’, Uncle Scrooge—you’ll most likely be disappointed with the result. I don’t want you to get your hopes up for nothing. Maybe put _less_ faith in his adventuring abilities and focus on more, I dunno, _realistic_ possibilities for his future? I mean, d’you really think he’ll earn money by just climbing really tall mountains every week?”

“W-Well — ”

“You really want Dewey to end up begging his great-uncle for money in order to pay the bills? Don’t you want him to become independent like Uncle Donald someday?”

“No, and of _course_ I do! But — ”

“Well there you go. I rest my case.” And with that, Louie left Scrooge standing there with a baffled expression. _Maybe Louie has a_ **_point_** _. Perhaps I’ve trusted Dewey a little_ **_too much_ ** _when it comes to_ **_adventuring_** _. From now on, I’ll put more faith in_ **_Webbigail_** _._

Little did they know that Dewey was listening to their conversation the _whole_ time....uh oh!

* * *

******3 MONTHS AGO (FRIDAY, 02/01/2013)******

“It’s been a few days since Mom came back, and Dewey’s already goin’ _gaga_ over her!” the green-clad duckling complained.

“You gotta admit though, Lou—they have a special connection since they’re practically the same person,” Huey pointed out.

“Huey’s right, lad. Dewey is certainly her child,” Scrooge added nostalgically.

“Oh, and Huey and I aren’t?? ‘Cause we’re _different_?!” Louie exclaimed angrily.

“What in the _world_ are you talking about, lass? Of course you’re her child too!” Scrooge retorted, astonished by his youngest nephew’s oddly passive-aggressive behavior tonight.

“Yeah? Well just so you know—your _thrill-seeking_ nephew can’t be trusted with any kind of equipment whatsoever! Remember what I told you a few months back? He’ll just disappoint you in the end! Better to trust Webby! Or hell, even _me_ , since I’m the one who’ll ultimately inherit your fortune!” Honestly, Louie was outraged. _How can Scrooge trust_ **_Dewey_ ** _over_ **_me_** _??_

Yeah—Dewey _really_ needed to stop eavesdropping on their conversations.

* * *

******PRESENT (TUESDAY, 05/07/2013)******

“Louie? Louie! _Hello_? Earth to Louie!” Huey snapped his fingers in front of Louie’s face.

“Huh? Oh yeah! Sorry um—what were you guys sayin’?” Everyone in the room blinked rapidly.

“Louie, are you _sure_ you’re alright? You seem a bit—dazed,” Aloiso pointed out.

“Guys, relax. I am _a-okay_ now. Everything’s fine!” the green triplet said frantically. _Yeah....maybe it’s_ **_best_ ** _if Dewey_ **_doesn’t_ ** _know about it._ Louie figured while flashing a fake smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! The Featherwing triplets are back in action....ish. ;)
> 
> Hope you've enjoyed this fic so far and let me know what you think.
> 
> This story is almost finished! :)


	20. No....You Saved Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carmello finally receives the gratitude he deserves while the Featherwing triplets plan on returning home. In the meantime, Donald contemplates on the severity of Dewey's punishment and has another thought in mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yeah! Chapter 20 is finally posted! Yay! :)
> 
> I'm almost done with this fic, so yeah. It's been quite a ride! :)

**_NOBODY’S P.O.V._ **

******WEDNESDAY, 05/08/2013******

“BOYS!” Amelia quacked over the phone, which caused some feedback.

“It was all Carmello’s idea!” Aloiso blurted out.

“We’re _really sorry_ , Mum!” Antonio apologized profoundly.

“Actually yeah, it’s true. I _did_ chip into it,” Carmello confessed sheepishly.

“You three are in a _boatload_ of trouble! I don’t care what your reasoning is! Nobody’s allowed to leave the house until _I_ say so!” she shrieked, causing her boys to flinch.

“Th-That sounds fair,” Aloiso stammered.

“W-We’ll be coming home soon, don’t worry,” Antonio reassured her.

“Can we at least say bye to everyone first?” Carmello pleaded.

Sighing in defeat, Amelia gave them permission. However, she expected them to return home before 4:00pm tomorrow evening. Otherwise, the consequences would be _more_ severe.

* * *

******THURSDAY, 05/09/2013******

“Guess we’ll see you in a month or so....” Aloiso muttered dejectedly, giving Huey a quick hug.

“Relax, guys. It’ll go by in a flash!” Dewey told them optimistically.

“Well this _sucks_. Man! I wish you guys could stay for at _least_ another week!” Louie whined.

“Too bad we’re grounded. Otherwise, we could’ve done FaceTime,” Antonio reminded him.

“Dewey’s right though. We’ll see each other before you know it!” Huey added, smiling.

* * *

In the meantime, Carmello had crept into Della’s room and saw her reading over her old Junior Woodchuck Manual. She immediately looked up and grinned.

“Hey sweetie,” she greeted him. “So you’re leaving already, huh?”

“Yeah. Mum’s pretty upset with us, so we have to leave early,” he told her, eyes downcast. “And um....I also wanted to apologize for avoiding you over this past week. I-I just felt so guilty for — ”

“I know, honey. But I never blamed you for _one_ second,” Della declared. “It was _my_ decision to push you out of the way.”

“B-But—!” Carmello paused and teared up, feeling worse than ever. “Y-You saved me!” he blurted out, voice breaking.

The pilot shook her head firmly and grabbed his hands gently, squeezing them. “No....you saved _me_.”

“You saved _all_ of us,” Louie added while leaning against the door, smirking.

“You saved our _family_ ,” Della elaborated. “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have realized how _badly_ my words had affected Louie.”

“Yeah. And everyone found out our plan earlier than expected. So what? That’s _awesome_! They got to hang out with the coolest guy I know!” the green triplet said enthusiastically, clasping a comforting hand on Carmello’s shoulder.

“Everything worked out because of _you_ , man. I mean, you could’ve easily said _no_ to my plan, but you didn’t. And so I meant what I said over the phone that day.” Louie referred to their first phone call after he ran away, about how much Carmello loved to help people in general and all that other sappy stuff.

“Thank you!” the Scotsman whispered, nodding tearfully.

The green-clad duckling smiled mischievously. “Aw! I _knew_ you loved us!” he added before hugging his doppelgänger from behind.

“W-What?” Carmello started laughing. Soon, Della and Louie joined in.

“Oi! Let’s take a picture, everyone! You know, before Amelia sends her sons to military school!” Scrooge told him jokingly.

“While we’re at it, should we send _Dewey_ to military school?” Donald asked his uncle with a surprisingly serious demeanor. The said triplet swallowed apprehensively.

Scrooge sighed at his middle nephew and shook his head. “Relax, lad. We’re _not_ sending you to military school,” he told him truthfully.

“Oh thank God!” Dewey exhaled in relief.

“If you’re sending Dewey to military school, then I’d have to go too,” Louie said pointedly.

“What _what_?!” Donald squawked.

“Okay first of all— _nobody’s_ going to military school!” Della emphasized, rolling her eyes. “And Donald, stop scaring him! He’s already grounded!” she scolded her brother in Dewey’s defense, which he was thankful for.

The sailor folded his arms and pouted. “I’ll think about it,” he muttered irritably while averting his gaze.

“Uh guys? Are we gonna take our photo or not?” Huey reminded them, Aloiso and Antonio waiting patiently behind him.

“Yes. C’mon kids! Let’s move before Amelia sends me a death wish!” the old man said out loud before leading the children downstairs. “Donald! Get your sister on the mobile bed and bring her down quickly.”

“Whatever!” Donald grumbled softly while obeying his uncle’s orders. After the photo was taken and final goodbyes were shared, the Featherwing triplets returned to their own residence and faced the music. 

* * *

Meanwhile, Della noticed that something was up with her brother and ultimately decided to confront him.

“Donald, don’t tell me you’re _actually_ thinking about it — ” she started.

“It doesn’t matter! Dewey needs to _learn_!” he retorted.

“He _is_ learning! We’ve _already_ taken away his devices, his adventuring privileges! We’ve also forbidden him from going outside the front gate _unless_ it’s school-related — ” Della attempted to explain, but Donald was too enraged to hear what his sister was saying.

“Military school will be _good_ for him! Besides, you coddle him too much! ” the sailor argued.

“Doesn’t mean you have to act like his _drill_ sergeant!” the pilot shot back, equally furious.

As the twins continued to fight relentlessly over Dewey’s future, they had no idea the middle triplet was listening attentively from behind the door.

“....You were so fucking irresponsible, Della! Flying that _stupid_ rocket into outer space and leaving your three sons behind! I’m trying to prevent Dewey from making the _same_ mistake....”

“....Deep down, you _still_ blame Uncle Scrooge for what happened! Forcibly separating him from your nephews! And now you wanna do the same thing with our _boys_....”

“Dewey?” The said triplet gasped and turned around to see his two brothers standing there. Huey was fidgeting nervously while Louie took uneven breaths.

Flashing them a watery smile, Dewey choked out, “Well—looks like I’m going to military school.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no! What d'you think's gonna happen to Dewey? Will Donald actually send him to military school? Only one way to find out! :o
> 
> Hope you liked my story so far and feel free to comment! :)


	21. We're The McDuck Family!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dewey's fate is sealed and more secrets are revealed in this sort-of epic finale.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will Donald send Dewey to military school? Find out in the last part of "We're Not Saints". 
> 
> It's Chapter 21, you guys. We're finally here! :)
> 
> Man, this story took forever to complete, but now it's finally done. Enjoy! :)

**_NOBODY’S P.O.V._ **

******SAME DAY******

Despite Huey and Louie’s initial protests, Dewey tried convincing them that it was okay since he deserved it completely.

“This is ridiculous! Uncle Donald can’t just send you _away_!” Louie yelled.

“Louie — ” Dewey protested.

“No! I’m talkin’ him out of it!” the youngest argued before storming into Della’s room, nostrils flaring.

“Don’t even _think_ about it, Uncle Donald! If you send Dewey to military school, you’re gonna have to send _us_ too!” he fumed, glaring daggers at his uncle.

The sailor was taken aback as he gulped loudly. “L-Louie? How much did you hear?”

“Oh we’ve heard enough, don’t worry!” the said triplet seethed.

“Uncle Donald, _please_ reconsider! Mom’s right—Dewey’s already grounded for eternity, and our family’s been through _enough_ lately. You gotta let go of the past and move on!” Huey pleaded.

“I-It’s okay, Uncle Donald. You’re right. I need to reform, so um—sign me up,” Dewey told him, voice trembling with fear and dejection.

“Looks like your brother agrees with me,” the sailor deadpanned, about to grab his laptop from the room across. However, someone familiar had blocked his path.

“And everyone knows that’s _not_ going to happen under my watch!” Scrooge growled while leaning against the doorway, crossing his arms and giving his hot-tempered nephew the death glare.

Sighing exasperatedly, Donald said, “Uncle Scrooge — ”

“I don’t want to hear _another word_ from you, lad. Honestly, I’ve never been more disappointed. Is this how you raised them back on the houseboat?” the old man scolded him.

“Of _course_ not — ” the sailor tried to protest.

“Then why are you doing this?” Della insisted. Her voice shook as well, appalled at her brother’s unnecessarily harsh treatment towards her middle son.

“Because I’ve said it a _million_ times, Della! He needs to _learn_!” Donald squawked.

“Learn _what_? Face it, Donnie! That’s not what this is about! You’re not doing this for Dewey’s own good! You want to change his whole personality because you're _afraid_ he’ll become like me or Uncle Scrooge! An adventurer who either builds a rocket to space or steals it and disappears for over a decade!” the pilot snapped furiously.

“I-I don’t — ”

“It’s fine, Uncle Donald. I-I know why you’re considering it. Y-You hate me, don’t you? Because I love adventures like Mom and Uncle Scrooge, right? That’s why you were always more strict with me than with Huey and Louie,” Dewey replied softly.

“Baby—I _don’t_ hate you. B-But everything you’ve done recently has affected Louie so _badly_ that he ran away from home and probably never intended on coming back. A-And I was so scared — ” Donald’s voice was unusually small and tinted with despair.

“I know. It’s just—Louie and I, w-we....we talked about it. Like _really_ talked about pretty much everything that happened, and what we had to do to fix it. I understand why you had to punish me, Uncle Donald, b-but—I didn’t realize how much I’d let you down a-and—” Dewey gulped before continuing.

“Now you wanna send me away ‘cause you can’t look at me without feeling like screaming. Because I’m not the one who’s not good enough. Trust me, I’ve heard it a _million_ times before from sources I can’t really reveal right now—or _ever_.” The middle triplet was referring to all those times he overheard Louie chastising him behind his back.

“W-Who said you’re not good enough?” Donald gasped, puzzled by this new information. “I-I never said — ”

“ _I_ did.” Everyone turned to Louie, who seemed reluctant to go on. But deep down, he knew he had to—so he did.

“I dunno how many conversations he _heard_ exactly, but uh—I was the one who said a lot of shit behind his back first. And um—that’s why Dewey started badmouthing me to Mom. I-I know he had his other reasons, but um....it’s obvious now that _I_ was the main trigger,” the trickster revealed.

“What _kinds_ of things? Were you trying to, you know—?” Louie knew exactly what Donald had meant. The sailor asked if he was trying to jeopardize Dewey’s relationship with someone else in their family, intentional or not.

“I admit, I _was_ kinda jealous how close Dewey was to Uncle Scrooge, and so....I might’ve said some stuff that sorta made Uncle Scrooge either not _trust_ Dewey or discourage him from adventuring at times,” the youngest added shamefully.

“Christ, lad.... _why_?” Scrooge whispered disappointedly.

“Because! Like Dewey said—we all have our special connections! Huey has Uncle Donald, Dewey has Mom, and I have you, Uncle Scrooge. It makes _so much_ sense! You know, personality-wise!” Louie exclaimed, hoping his uncles were slowly getting it.

“But what I did was _wrong_ and totally unfair—and I’m _so sorry_ , Dew. It’s my fault we’re all in this position right now. Everything started with _me_! I-I....you’re not the bad guy, dude. _I_ am. Back then, I should’ve just kept my damn mouth shut — ” Dewey cut him off with a firm hug.

“I’m pretty sure we’re even now,” the blue triplet muttered while smiling, causing both brothers to laugh softly. Dewey had instantly forgiven Louie the moment he ultimately decided to confess.

“Okay....? I think you two have apologized more over the past three weeks than you have in our _entire_ lives, so....” Huey pointed out awkwardly.

“Now that I think about it, I’ve heard Donald and Della say crappier things behind each _others’_ backs by using _me_ in the process,” Scrooge admitted sheepishly, which made the twins flustered.

“What are you _talking_ about??” the pilot blurted out.

“We _never_ did that!” the sailor denied.

“And that’s _exactly_ why Dewey’s not going anywhere, especially not military school! Is that clear, Donald?” Scrooge stated, leaving no room for argument.

Exhaling loudly, Donald finally understood what he did wrong, and so he said, “Oh alright! Dewey’s not going to military school.” Scrooge, Della, and the triplets cheered at that.

“Hold up! I’m _not_ finished! Anyway—Dewey, you’re still grounded. However, I’ve cut it short since Louie told me his side of the story. I’ll let you know the details later, when we’re alone. Also—Louie, you’re grounded for running away to another country without my knowledge, including Uncle Scrooge and your mother’s.”

Crossing his arms again, Donald glared at his youngest nephew who nodded in agreement. “Sounds totally fair, Uncle Donald,” he responded.

“And Huey, you’re....well—I dunno if _you_ said anything in particular behind your brothers’ backs in order to jeopardize—did you?” Huey shrugged at his uncle’s skeptical words, indicating that he probably _did_ do it at some point.

“Ack! Is _anyone_ in our family truly innocent around here?!” Donald snapped, fuming again.

“Jesus, Donald! We’re the McDuck family! We fight and _squabble_ because we’re idiots who can’t get along 24/7! Know why? Because we’re a family! We’re not _saints_!” Scrooge shot back.

Overwhelmed with relief, Dewey ran over to his younger uncle and embraced him like there was no tomorrow, thanking him repeatedly for not sending him away.

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” he cried joyfully.

Soon, the 12-year-old left tears and snot all over Donald’s shirt. His swollen red eyes fixated on the sailor’s warm ones before burying his face in his uncle’s uniform again, sobbing like a baby. But for the first time in a looooong time—these were tears of happiness.

“I love you, baby,” Donald mumbled into Dewey’s hair before inviting his other nephews to join their loving group hug. Huey wrapped both arms around his immediate little brother and rested his head on Dewey’s shoulder while Louie did the same from the other side. “And you are _definitely_ good enough for me.”

“May I join?” the old man requested gently before circling his long arms around all three boys and holding them close to his chest.

“Um _hello_? Guys? What about my hug? No offense, but I’m not exactly mobile here if you know what I’m sayin’!” Della stated as-a-matter-of-factly while grimacing due to the pain in her legs.

Everyone laughed before Louie replied, “Alright Mom—you asked for it!” 

Giving her a mischievous look, Della swallowed hard and shook her head fervently. “W-Wait! I take it back! No, you guys! Don’t pile on me! Aaah!”

C’EST FINI 😊

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so the ending wasn't exactly what I had planned at first, but it turned out alright. At least from my perspective.
> 
> It's a little bittersweet yet fluffy and quite amusing at the same time. :)
> 
> Overall, I hope you liked this fic and thank you so much for reading! :)

**Author's Note:**

> I DO NOT OWN the *Ducktales* reboot!! All CANON DIALOGUES/SCENES are credited to the WRITERS/PRODUCERS/DIRECTORS of the show!! :)


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